


Friend like me

by SilverHeart09



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Aladdin AU, F/F, It'll make sense, Prince!Ryan, Thirteen is still a Time Lord though, genie!Thirteen, princess!Yasmin, thasmin, vizier!Graham
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:40:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22268806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverHeart09/pseuds/SilverHeart09
Summary: ‘I, I don’t mean to be rude,’ Yasmin stammered. ‘But genies - I mean, I was always told they were just fairy tales?’'You’d be surprised how many fairy tales turn out to be based on fact,’ the woman said, her eyes twinkling. ‘I mean strictly speaking I'm a Time Lord but I got cursed thousands of years ago and now I'm stuck in this lamp.’ She pulled a face. 'Massive brain and knowledge and I'm stuck in an itty bitty living space.'
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Comments: 190
Kudos: 282





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I watched the new Aladdin movie and became obsessed with the idea of Yaz as the princess!  
> Hopefully this won't be a massively long story. It's just a bit of silliness but I hope you guys enjoy it :)

Princess Yasmin had everything anyone could ever want. A castle, servants, adoration, all the money in the world. She was beloved by all her people, adored by her parents and servants, but was also - completely and utterly - entirely alone. 

Growing up in a palace with private tutors meant she hadn’t been able to learn with other children and her younger sister was always away in the neighbouring kingdom, spending long summers with her friends. As the heir, Yasmin wasn’t granted this luxury and instead had to spend all her days in the castle, sitting in on council meetings and resolving disputes amongst her people.

She spent her evenings as far away from people as she could, typically staying on her balcony with a book or in the little courtyard inside the palace walls. She longed to go outside but her parents wouldn’t allow it. It was a dangerous world, that’s what they said, and she was better off staying in the palace where she was safe.

Safe and bored out of her mind with only her handmaiden to keep her company. 

That hadn’t protected her mother though, who’d taken ill with fever and was like to die. Her father didn't speak to her of her mother’s deterioration but Yasmin was no fool, her mother was gravely ill and all they could do was watch her die. 

She was sat by her side now, a book open in her lap as the night air carried in a gentle breeze. It was stuffy in her mother’s room and she’d opened the shutters despite the doctors advising against it. She didn't trust their recommendations, however, and her mouth had always said that fresh air was the perfect remedy for sickness.

Looking down at her mother’s still face now though, Yasmin doubted it would save her. 

She continued to read to her, however, though she had no idea if her mother could hear her or not. The story was about a handsome knight who rescued a trapped princess, but then weren’t they all? The men got all the glory and the women got to almost be eaten by dragons. It hardly seemed fair. 

She heard footsteps and voices in the corridor and Yasmin jumped up to close the shutters again, the book falling from her lap and landing on the dusty floor with a  _ thunk.  _ Her father Hakim, the Sultan, was of a different opinion when it came to the advice of her mother’s physicians and he would likely be irritated by the open window. 

She made it back into the chair just before the door open, retrieving the book and tucking up her legs as her father, her mother’s doctors, and some of the guards came into the room. 

‘Ah, Yasmin,’ her father said. ‘There you are. How is she?’

‘Much the same,’ Yasmin replied, hugging the book to her chest. ‘She seems peaceful though.’

‘The herbs have done their work,’ one of the doctors said. ‘I shall make up another preparation. It is cold in here, perhaps another blanket for the Sultana?’

Her father gave Yasmin a warning look but she only blinked at him innocently. 

‘Leave us,’ the Sultan commanded the physicians and guards, and he sat on the edge of his wife’s bed as they all left the room.

Yasmin stood up, crossing the room to take a beautiful embroidered blanket from the cupboard, tucking it over her mother and lighting more candles. Now the shutters were closed the room was dark and dim. Yasmin knew her mother would have preferred the starlight but her father was very particular in these things.

‘I bring word from your sister,’ Hakim said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. ‘She is on her way back to us. She should arrive in the next few days.’

Yasmin knew why immediately, though she was loathe to admit it. Her mother wasn’t getting better and it was right her family should return to pay their respects. It wasn’t that she particularly missed her sister, Princess Sonya, but she would dearly love to see her again. 

‘I’ll ask Ananya to make up her room,’ Yasmin said, returning to her chair and holding her mother’s hand. 

Her father sighed, and he looked older suddenly. Yasmin wasn’t sure when her parents had started ageing. Once her mother had gotten sick it had suddenly seemed to happen all at once.

‘I worry about you, Yasmin,’ Hakim said gently. ‘You need companionship. It is sweet and of course right for you to spend time with your mother when she’s so unwell, but you’ve been on your own for weeks now.’

‘I have everything I need right here,’ Yasmin said. She knew where this conversation was going and she wasn’t a fan of having it, especially now. 

‘Perhaps, when the time is right, we should invite more suitors to the palace,’ Hakim said, and Yasmin scowled. 

‘All the suitors I’ve been presented with so far are jumped up idiots who care more about my beauty than they do about me. I would rather meet someone on  _ my  _ terms, not theirs.’ 

‘Yasmin, one day you will need to marry,’ Hakim insisted. ‘I was blessed with two daughters but there must be a sultan after me.’

‘And why can’t  _ I  _ be the sultan?’ Yasmin cried. ‘Why must it be a man? Why are men more capable than women?’

‘It is tradition and it will be upheld,’ Hakim said. His tone of voice was suggesting that Yasmin was beginning to push but she was sick of it. She didn't  _ want  _ to be sultan but she’d rather it was her than some prince she was forced to marry because  _ tradition had to be upheld. _

‘I will marry someone I love,’ Yasmin said, standing up suddenly and leaving the book on her chair. ‘I will marry someone I love and that choice shall not, and will not, be thrust upon me. Call your suitors if you must, but they may not have my hand unless  _ I  _ deem them worthy.’

With that, she bent to kiss her mother on the cheek, drawing up the blanket around her shoulders, and left the room.

* * *

The next day found her hiding from her father as she explored the lower levels of the castle. She knew there would need to be a conversation about suitors, she just wasn’t keen to have it any time soon. The men she’d been presented with so far had been  _ okay,  _ but that was it. She had hardly been enamoured with any of them, certainly not enough to give them the idea that she’d say yes if they asked for her hand. 

There was a door Yasmin had noticed a few weeks back tucked away at the very back of the castle, but she hadn’t had the key to open it. Now though, the keys found in her mother’s desk and now clipped underneath her skirts, Yasmin was finally able to unlock it, the door creaking on its hinges from years of unuse as it opened onto a narrow staircase leading downwards. She held up her little lantern, and began the descent. 

It was cold and dark and Yasmin coughed as dust got into her lungs. A cobweb swung in front of her face and she batted it aside, realising there was a torch hanging on the wall behind it. She lit it, wrinkling her nose at the smell of damp wood until the torch finally caught alight and began to burn. It didn't do much to illuminate the room, but Yasmin saw that there were others along the wall and she walked around it, lighting them until finally she could see where she was. 

It looked like a dumping ground for everything that had fallen out of her parents’ favour. She recognised a few rugs and tapestries, now moth eaten and falling apart, as well as goblets in urgent need of polishing and a few broken plates. She wiped the dust off of what may have once been a silver serving plate, wincing at her reflection. There was dirt on her face and her hair had come loose. She should really think about getting back up to her room before her parents caught her in this state, but there was something else that had caught her eye, something that had been undamaged and untarnished throughout time; if a little dusty.

She lifted up a golden lamp and rubbed it clean. 

Blue smoke shot out the end of it and the lamp started to vibrate in her hand, shuddering and dancing in the air on its own once she’d let go of it in shock. The smoke spiralled, curling up in the air and shining; blue light reflected in the treasures around her. It was glorious and mesmerising and Yasmin almost screamed when, a few moments later, someone  _ shot out the end of it.  _

‘Aaaaahhh that’s soooo much better,’ the person - a woman - said, stretching her arms high above her head. ‘I’ve been in there for  _ years.  _ Hello! I’m the genie of the lamp and you are my new master. Or mistress, I should say. As long as you don’t ask me to call you “Missy”. That’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it one day, if we get really bored one evening.’

She bowed low, her long skirts brushing against the stone floor, and when she looked up again all Yasmin found herself able to do was stare, open mouthed. The woman’s hair was short and blonde and there were jewelled hair accessories on her head; a single jewel hanging down on her forehead and a glittering ruby choker around her neck. The most astonishing thing about her, however, was she was completely blue. 

‘You’re - but you were - you were in the -’

‘Oh, you didn't mean to release me!’ the woman said in shock. ‘Gosh. It’s been a long time since that happened. Actually, you know what, I don’t think that’s  _ ever  _ happened.’ 

She pulled her face into a curious expression, forehead crinkling as a small frown line appeared. Yasmin had never seen such an expression before, though she supposed the best word for it would be  _ scronch,  _ but soon the woman’s face had relaxed into a smile as she beamed at Yasmin. 

‘Well then, introductions!’ she said, the long skirts of her dark blue sari sweeping against the floor as bracelets on her neck and arms jangled. ‘I’m the genie of the lamp, granter of wishes, annoyer of Daleks. And you are?’

‘Uuuh…’ Yasmin found herself unable to speak suddenly. This woman was  _ gorgeous  _ and she’d just  _ appeared out of a lamp. _

‘Uuuh?’ the woman - the  _ genie  _ \- said, scronching her face again. ‘Huh. I’ve never met anyone called Uuuh.’

‘Yasmin,’ Yasmin blurted out. ‘That’s my name. Princess Yasmin.’

‘Princess?’ The genie looked surprised and she looked around the dark cavern they were in with confusion painted across her face. ‘This doesn’t look much like a castle.’

‘We’re in the basement,’ Yasmin said, and the genie gave her a peculiar look. 

_ ‘Why?!  _ Of all the places to be!’

‘I was exploring,’ Yasmin whispered. 

‘Well, you found me I suppose,’ the genie said, wrinkling her face at the cobwebs. She had the most expressional face Yasmin had ever seen and she couldn’t stop staring at her. She’d never seen a woman such as she before in her life. She’d heard about genies but they were myths, fairy tales, they didn't  _ actually  _ exist. 

‘I, I don’t mean to be rude,’ Yasmin stammered. ‘But genies - I mean, I was always told they were just fairy tales?’

'You’d be surprised how many fairy tales turn out to be based on fact,’ the woman said, her eyes twinkling. ‘I mean strictly speaking I'm a Time Lord but I got cursed thousands of years ago and now I'm stuck in this lamp.’ She pulled a face. 'Massive brain and knowledge and I'm stuck in an itty bitty living space.'

'But that's awful,' Yasmin said, looking down at the lamp. It was  _ tiny.  _ She couldn’t imagine anyone being comfortable living in there. 'Is there any way I can help you?'

'Nah,' the genie said with a shrug. 'It's the other way round. I help you! You get three wishes, anything you want. Throw ‘em at me.'

'I can't use you like that!' Yasmin protested. 'That's awful! You're a person!'

'You ain't never had a friend like me though,' the genie said with a wink. ‘Now come on, wish away. You must have something. Must be something you’re after. To be back up in the sun, perhaps? It’s a bit dark in here. Quick rules though! There’s things you should know, just in case you’re about to wish for something I can’t grant. I used to do a whole song and dance about this but it was rarely appreciated so I’m gonna just stick to the script, if that’s okay with you.’

She jumped up onto a crate and Yasmin was about to call out for her to be careful when she realised that the genie was hovering in thin air, legs crossed and a cheery smile on her face. 

‘Number one! You can’t wish for more wishes. Sorry, three is enough. And be careful what you wish for as well. All magic comes with a price. Number b! No, number two! I can’t make anyone fall in love with anyone else.’ She tilted upside down in the air, hearts in her eyes as she grinned loopily at Yasmin. ‘Number three! I can’t bring anybody back from the dead.’ She transformed into a strange creature, a man made entirely of metal, and Yasmin took a step back in fright, almost tripping over a crate. 

‘Number four,’ the genie said softly, appearing behind Yasmin to steady her with an arm on her elbow. ‘I can’t travel through time and space. Not any more. I mean I used to be able to, and I always thought genies had phenomenal cosmic power, but apparently even they aren’t that powerful.’

She looked dejected suddenly, eyes downwards, but then her face was all bright and cheery again and she stood in front of Yasmin, eyes glinting.

‘So, Yaz - is it okay if I call you Yaz? It’s shorter. Plus, I figure we’re friends now and Yasmin is just  _ too long  _ \- what can I do for you? What’s your first wish?’

Yasmin blinked at her with her hands twisting by her sides as she pretended to think, though she knew there was only one thing she really wanted. There was only one thing she’d want to wish for.

‘Ah, I see something,’ the genie said, tilting her head. ‘What are you thinking? Come on, hit me.’

She rubbed her hands together, sparks shooting off of them. 

‘It’s - it’s my mother, the Sultana,’ Yasmin whispered quietly. ‘She’s not dead, but she is very unwell. Can you, I mean,  _ would you  _ heal her? Can you make her better?’

The genie tilted her head at her, eyes wide in confusion. 

‘But that’s a wish for another person. No-one’s ever -’

She blinked away the confusion and grabbed the lamp, shoving it into Yasmin’s hands. 

‘Right, official wish,’ she said cheerily. ‘This is how you do it. Rub the lamp and start your sentences with  _ I wish.  _ Then I’ll do my stuff. Ready when you are, princess.’ 

Yasmin nodded and held the lamp in her hands, looking up at the genie who nodded encouragingly at her. 

‘Okay.’ She took a deep breath and began to rub the lamp. ‘ _ I wish  _ that my mother was healed.’ 

The genie beamed at her, her eyes glowing golden. ‘Your wish is my command, princess.’

And she snapped her fingers and the world tilted sharply on its axis. 

‘Not gonna lie, I do that a lot,’ the genie said as Yasmin staggered, reaching out to grip hold of the - bedpost? 

‘But we’re in my mother’s room,’ Yasmin said, looking down at her mother sleeping peacefully in the bed. ‘We were in the basement! How did you…?’

‘Like I said. Not  _ quite  _ phenomenal cosmic power, but not nothing either,’ the genie said, holding her hand out over her mother’s chest. ‘Hmm. She’s very poorly, but don’t worry. I think I can sort this.’

She pressed her hand against Najia’s chest and closed her eyes. A few moments later golden light flowed from the genie’s hand into Najia’s chest, making her glow. 

Yasmin sat beside her and squeezed her hand. 

Then her mother opened her eyes. 

‘Yasmin?’

‘Mother!’ 

Yasmin burst into tears and threw her arms around her mother, safe, warm,  _ alive.  _ She was  _ alive. _

‘Princess, is everything - Sultana!’ 

One of the guards came stumbling into the room, drawn inside by the noise, and dropped to his knees as Najia sat up against the cushions. 

‘Yasmin, what’s the matter, sweetheart? Why are you crying?’ she asked, a hand against her daughter’s cheek. ‘I was having the most wonderful dream. I was in space, I think, but there were stars, so  _ many  _ stars, like the kind we see through our telescopes! It was beautiful.’ 

‘You’re okay,’ Yasmin mumbled, her face pressed against her mother’s shoulder. ‘I was so sure I was going to lose you.’

‘Lose me? Don’t be so silly,’ Najia laughed. ‘I won’t leave you. But where on earth have you been! You’re  _ filthy.’ _

Yasmin looked up suddenly, looking for the genie, but she’d vanished leaving behind the lamp on the chair beside Najia’s bed; soft blue smoke escaping from the spout. 

* * *

It wasn’t until later that evening that Yasmin was able to sneak the lamp out from under her dress and take it out on the balcony, out of sight of her servants. It had been a long,  _ wonderful  _ day, with much rejoicing that the Sultana had recovered. She’d never forget the sight of her father’s face as he’d leant over his wife and kissed her lovingly, pure joy in his eyes. She only wished someone would look at  _ her  _ like that. Of all the admirers and suitors she’d met, none of them had had enough brain cells to spark any form of decent conversation and she was bored by the lot of them. She knew her father wanted her to marry, but she refused to be dragged into a relationship because of duty alone. She wanted the person she married to love her for  _ her,  _ not her father’s money or influence. 

As soon as the genie was free her beautiful face went slack, eyes full of longing as she looked up at the stars shining above them. 

‘Oh, Yaz,’ the genie said, gazing into the night sky. ‘Look at the stars. See how they shine.’

‘You seem sad?’ Yasmin realised, head tilted. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing,’ the genie said, shaking her head and making the jewels at her throat jangle. ‘It’s just - you never really know what you had until you lose it, you know?’

‘Yes,’ Yasmin replied, thinking about her mother. ‘I think I do know.’ 

The genie smiled at her and Yasmin knew she was also thinking of the Sultana.

‘I don’t remember the last time I looked up at the stars,’ the genie said, turning her eyes heavenward again. ‘Thank you, princess.’

‘Can’t you look up at them whenever you want?’ Yasmin asked. ‘Surely you can go outside when you’re in the lamp?’

The genie held out her wrists and Yasmin saw two heavy golden cuffs around each of them. They looked tight and uncomfortable and the genie’s face was miserable.

‘I’m a slave to that lamp,’ she said. ‘I told you. I’m not really a genie, I’m a Time Lord. But I was cursed and now I’m stuck there granting wishes till the end of my days. Whenever that is.’ 

‘Cursed?’ Yasmin asked, unable to hold back the question. ‘Who cursed you?’

‘Not a who, I don’t think,’ the genie said, frowning. ‘I’m not really sure. I was exploring. That’s what I am really, just an explorer. But I found this - this artifact - this  _ stone  _ \- and I didn't know what it was so I soniced it and… well, then I woke up in the lamp. It must have been some kind of science with the power to bend and warp reality. This isn’t my world, this isn’t even my  _ universe.  _ I’m - I’m…’

Her eyes dropped and misery flashed across her face as she sat down heavily on a bench, the lamp beside her. 

‘You sound so lost,’ Yasmin said softly. ‘So far from home.’

‘I’m sorry,’ the genie said, rubbing her face. ‘I don’t usually talk about this with people, certainly not people who care. The people that find me already know what they want. Money, power, influence. They’re not  _ kind  _ like you.’ She looked up at Yaz, eyes reflecting the stars above them. ‘I don’t remember the last time I met someone kind like you.’ 

‘There has to be something I can do,’ Yasmin whispered. ‘There must be some way that I can help. Surely there’s a way to undo the curse? A potion or a magic word or a cure?’

‘I mean,’ the genie said with a frown. ‘I’ve been thinking about it but the only thing I can think of that  _ might  _ work would be - well, would be if you -’

She trailed off and looked up at the stars again, a soft smile on her face. 

‘If I wished you free,’ Yasmin whispered, and the genie nodded. 

‘I think so. I mean I don’t know if it’ll work or not but I always thought it was worth a try.’ 

Yasmin couldn’t stop staring at her. Her eyes were wide and the light from the moon was catching her hair, making it shine. Her skin shone in iridescent tones of blue, almost like a sapphire. Yasmin had never seen a person so miserable before but, when she looked up at the stars, Yasmin could see the woman she may have been once. Free. 

‘Then let me,’ Yasmin whispered, and the genie scronched and gave her a curious look.

‘Let you what?’

‘It sounds like it’s worth a try to me too, genie,’ Yasmin said. ‘If I wish you free, that is.’ 

‘What if it doesn’t work though?’ the genie said, sitting upright and looking at Yasmin in shock. ‘I mean, you’ll have wasted your wish.’

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Yasmin said. ‘At least then we’ll know for a fact it didn't work and we can try and think of something else.’

_ ‘We?!’ _

‘Of course,’ Yasmin said with a smile. ‘I’ll set you free. You’re my responsibility now. I want to help you genie, if I can, and I swear to you I’ll do everything in my power to reverse this curse.’

‘Yaz…’

The genie was looking at her with an expression Yasmin hardly recognised. Her eyes were soft, lids heavy, and there was a pink flush on her cheeks. 

‘You - you really want to help me?’

‘Why wouldn’t I?’ Yasmin asked. ‘You saved my mother. It seems like the least I can do.’

‘You wished me to save your mother, it’s different,’ the genie said, shaking her head sadly. ‘I can’t say no, I have to obey. The whole genie/lamp deal, it’s a promise to serve.’ 

‘Then I’ll make a promise to you, right here and now,’ Yasmin said, kneeling before her and taking her hands. ‘I promise I will use my final wish to set you free. I swear it to you, on everything I hold dear. I will grant you your freedom.’

The genie looked confused, face furrowed, but she nodded anyway and smiled at Yasmin. 

‘We’ll see,’ she said softly. 

‘Princess.’

Yasmin sprang away from the genie but she was already gone, only a thin wisp of blue smoke coming out of the lamp indicating she’d been there at all. Her handmaiden stood there, an expression of bemusement on her face. 

‘I feel like I’ve just caught you doing something you shouldn’t have been doing,’ she said. ‘But I have no idea what it was.’

‘Can’t I kneel on my own floor?’ Yasmin laughed, and her maid - Ananya - only shrugged. 

‘I mean, if that’s what keeps you occupied then by all means. Wouldn’t you prefer to get into bed though, princess? I hear there is another prince arriving tomorrow.’

‘Please no,’ Yasmin said with a pained groan. Her father worked  _ fast.  _ She doubted the prince would be coming at all if it were not for her mother’s miraculous recovery. ‘Not another one. As long as he isn’t as bad as the last.’ 

‘The last wasn’t too bad!’ Ananya protested, sitting her mistress down at the dressing table so she could begin to take the jewels and pins out of the princess’ hair. ‘He just had an interesting dancing technique.’ 

‘If you call jumping up and down dancing,’ Yasmin replied, rolling her eyes. ‘I thought he was going to stamp on baba’s foot.’ 

‘I hear your sister is returning to us,’ Ananya said, and Yasmin watched her reflection as her dark hair was unclipped and fell across her face. 

‘Yes. Under happier circumstances now.’ 

‘You never know. Perhaps Princess Sonya will fall for the prince instead.’

Yasmin eyed the lamp, blue tendrils of smoke appearing from the spout a clear sign the genie was listening in. 

‘I can only hope so,’ Yasmin smiled, though she knew that was unlikely. Her sister was of the same mind that she was. Boys were silly and she could do without them. 

‘Well, best us both get to bed,’ Ananya said, arranging Yasmin’s hairpins neatly on the table in front of the mirror. ‘It will no doubt be a busy day tomorrow.’

She bade her goodnight and left the room, and Yasmin hurried to the lamp as soon as she was gone. She picked it up and put it on the table, the spout facing out over the balcony and up to the stars above and the kingdom below.

‘In case you want to look at the stars,’ she whispered before climbing into bed.

She awoke once in the night and the genie was sat on the edge of the balcony, hair blowing in the gentle breeze as she looked up at the sky with a peaceful smile on her face. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I genuinely can't believe how many lovely people commented on this fic!!!! It's my first au (other than human nature aus which don't count cause it's still part of canon) and people have been so NICE <3 <3 <3

Yasmin was woken early the next day by the sound of drums and shouting in the distance. So loud and thumping was the distant noise that the surface of her water was vibrating in its goblet. She sprang out of bed and ran to her balcony, the genie appearing from her lamp and yawning sleepily as she stretched and blinked bleary eyes over the city below. She was wearing the most peculiar outfit. A long baggy garment, almost like a tunic but made of softer material, with the cryptic message _grumpy but gorgeous_ printed across it. Her hair was a mess like she’d just rolled out of bed and she blinked down over the balcony, whistling low. 

‘Wow.’

‘This must be my new suitor,’ Yasmin said, hand pressed against her face. 

‘He’s something else,’ the genie agreed. ‘Is that an elephant he’s riding?’

‘It certainly looks like one.’

The princess and cosmic entity could see a large entourage approaching the castle walls, led by a young man riding a grey elephant. He was too far away to work out if he was handsome or not, but behind him were camels, peacocks, monkeys, almost every animal Yasmin could think of. The prince was throwing coins from a basket in front of him into the crowd and Yasmin tilted her head, unable to determine if the gesture was one of goodwill and compassion to her people or intended to be a display of his wealth.

‘He’s got a zoo. I’m telling you, it’s a world class menagerie,’ the genie said admiringly. ‘Look at it! Have you ever seen such a mess? Overcompensating, that’s what that is. He must have a really small -’ 

‘Princess? Are you ready?’

Yasmin turned to find her handmaiden waiting for her, a dress held across her arm. It was beautiful, one of her favourites, but Yasmin could hardly summon the courage to appreciate its beauty. She felt nervous suddenly. It had been months since her last suitor, before her mother had become sick - in fact - and this one had been sprang on her so quickly she barely had time to prepare herself. 

‘Don’t look so sad! You haven’t even met him yet,’ Ananya laughed. ‘I’ve heard whispers from the servants in the kitchens though, apparently he’s very attractive.’

‘They’ve all been very attractive,’ Yasmin said. ‘Physically, anyway. It’s the rest of them I’ve not been so keen on.’

The genie had disguised herself as a bird on the parapet and Yasmin heard her whisper quietly:

‘Especially if he really does have a small -’

‘I think I’d like to have my hair up,’ Yasmin cut her off quickly before she started laughing. ‘Would you mind?’

‘I’ll have you looking your absolute best,’ Ananya smiled. ‘That’s what I’m here for, after all. And when you have beautiful children with this prince, I can look after them for you also.’

Yasmin rolled her eyes.

‘I’ve not even met the prince. Don’t go planning my future just yet. I only hope he’s more intellectually stimulating than the last one.’

‘It would be impossible to _not_ be more intellectually stimulating than the last one.’

The bird-genie disappeared back inside the lamp and Yasmin held out her arms as Ananya helped her into her gown. It was a deep purple with blue lining and it moved like water against her skin, her skirts ruffling the floor and the material blowing a little in the breeze. 

She sat patiently in front of the mirror as Ananya fixed jewels in her hair, around her neck, and on her arms. She wasn’t vain by anyone’s standards, but she had an image to uphold and she knew her mother would want her looking her best. 

Once her maid had finished applying delicate makeup to her face, she grabbed the lamp and tucked it underneath her skirts. She wasn’t sure why she wanted the genie so close to her but she had to admit having the lamp made her feel more secure. She certainly didn't want to leave it here. She still had to wish her free. 

Plus, the genie made her laugh and it had been a long time since anyone had done that. 

The prince had reached the gates and was climbing down from his elephant, landing deftly on his feet. He looked up and for an instant Yasmin was sure he’d looked right at her, but then he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun and she moved away from the balcony. 

* * *

When she entered her father’s hall the prince was already there, and as she descended the golden steps he got her first proper look at him.

She had to admit, he was handsome.

He was tall with a strong jawline and kind eyes. His skin was dark and, whilst the colour was plain, his clothes were smart and fitted him perfectly. He looked younger than her other suitors, more her own age, and he took off his hat and bowed low to her, almost brushing against the floor.

‘Prince Ryan, may I present my daughter,’ her father said as Yasmin stood beside her parents. ‘Princess Yasmin.’

‘Princess,’ the prince said, bowing again. ‘It is truly an honour to meet you. I have heard much about your kindness and generosity.’ He stood and gestured with his arm to an older man stood beside him. ‘This is my grandfather and Grand Vizier, Graham.’

Yasmin had never heard of such unusual names, but she nodded politely at Graham all the same who bowed to her. Truth be told, Ryan already struck her as being different than the others. Her other suitors always made some grand gesture or referenced her beauty and it was tiring and a little old. She caught Ananya’s eyes, stood with the other servants. Ananya put her thumbs up and grinned. Her handmaiden clearly liked the prince too. 

‘You are welcome to our kingdom,’ her father said. ‘We shall hold a banquet for you this evening in your honour. In the meantime we have rooms prepared for you. Please feel free to walk around the castle as you wish. The flowers in the gardens are particularly lovely this time of year.’

The prince and his men bowed again and Yasmin stayed by her parents’ side as he was escorted from the hall by their guards. He turned back to look at her and smiled before disappearing into the corridor. Yasmin tilted her head curiously. He certainly wasn’t like the others. 

‘Well?’ Najia prompted her when no response was forthcoming from her daughter. ‘He seems nice.’

‘Certainly more polite than the rest of them,’ her father agreed. ‘Did you like him, Yasmin?’

‘How can I like him when I don’t know him?’ Yasmin replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. 

‘Not to worry, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know him this evening at the banquet,’ Najia said cheerfully. ‘At least try to get to know this one, Yasmin. He seems quite charming.’

Yasmin managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She was a princess after all. 

* * *

‘He seems nice,’ the genie said, materialising in the hallway once she was alone. She’d gotten dressed out of her strange tunic outfit and was wearing a grey sari embroidered in tiny stars with jewels hanging around her neck, ears, arms, and in her hair. She positively jangled. 

‘Urgh, you’re as bad as my parents,’ Yasmin complained, hands pressed against her face. ‘I don’t want to get married and if he _is_ nice and we _do_ get along my parents will claim it as their victory. Why can’t I just meet people on my own terms?’

The genie did a curious thing then. The lower half of her body hadn’t really formed, it was more wisps of smoke coming out of the end of the lamp, but in the time it took Yasmin to blink the genie had suddenly acquired legs and her skin had turned from blue to a normal pale skin tone. Even her hair appeared more blonde in the morning sunshine streaming in through the windows. She stretched high, the bangles on her arms jangling with the movement, and when she smiled at Yasmin the princess found she was temporarily dazzled by her beauty. 

‘Shall we go for a walk?’ the genie asked cheerily, and she tucked her arm through Yasmin’s and began to tug her towards the gardens. 

‘How did you do that?’ Yasmin asked, astonished. She’d only seen the genie blue, but now she looked like a normal, ordinary human. 

‘Genie magic, helps me blend in when I need to,’ she replied, blinking up at the sun once they’d stepped outside into the gardens. She clapped her hands together twice and a gauzy scarf appeared over her head which she adjusted to keep the sun off her face. The gardens were in full bloom this time of year and the smile that stretched across the genie’s face was magic in itself as she looked up at the trees and the flowers around her. 

‘When’s the last time you were outside, aside from last night?’ Yasmin asked quietly as they sat on a bench beneath a rose bush. The genie’s face fell for a moment before the smile was back and she shrugged. 

‘I’ve been outside plenty of times. I just don’t get to stay there for very long.’ She nudged Yasmin in the side, eyes shining. ‘This is a nice change, meeting you. Usually by the time _the guy_ gets to me they know what they want and there’s no time for admiring the flowers or stargazing.’ 

‘That seems to be all I can do,’ Yasmin said sadly. ‘I’m not allowed outside the palace, my parents say it isn’t safe for me.’

‘You’ve never explored the city?’ the genie said, astonished. ‘But it’s beautiful out there! The world is incredible, your world in particular. I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s magic here that doesn’t exist anywhere else I’ve been, it’s like something out of a fairy tale.’

‘A bit like you, then,’ Yasmin said, nudging her playfully. ‘I still can’t believe I’m sat here with an _actual_ genie. Or Time Lord. Both?’

‘Both at the moment,’ the genie agreed, wriggling her toes in her silver sandals as she stretched out her legs in the sunshine. She turned her head to Yasmim, a sleepy smile on her face. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘For being - nice. Thank you for being nice.’

Yasmin shook her head sadly. 

‘I’m only sorry I didn't find you sooner,’ she said quietly. ‘Trapped in that lamp, forced to do other people’s bidding. I can’t even begin to imagine what people would have wished you to do.’

The genie’s face dropped and her smile vanished. She suddenly looked impossibly sad, and impossibly old. Yasmin wondered how old she really was. 

‘The things I’ve done, Yaz,’ the genie whispered quietly. ‘I don’t think you’d like me much if you knew the things I’ve done.’

‘They’re not your fault though,’ Yasmin urged. ‘You said it yourself, you have to grant wishes.’

‘I’ve tried to refuse before,’ the genie admitted. ‘When I first got cursed and I was asked to - to -’ She trailed off and looked down at the ground. ‘Needless to say it wasn’t a kind wish,’ she continued in a quiet whisper. ‘But I tried to say no, I tried not to use the magic but I just couldn’t. It was like I was on fire, like I was burning from the inside out. I could feel myself ripping apart from the inside and it was so much worse than regenerating. I had to give in and do what he wanted.’

‘That doesn’t sound like your fault,’ Yasmin said gently. 

‘But it felt like it, Yaz.’ The genie sounded miserable and Yasmin found herself reaching out to take hold of her hand. The genie looked down at it in surprise and Yasmin wondered when the last time she’d been touched was. She didn't seem to mind, if anything she only smiled and wrapped her fingers around Yasmin’s tightly. 

‘Let’s do it now,’ Yasmin said, reaching under her skirt to withdraw the lamp. ‘Let’s find out if wishing you free will work.’

The genie’s head shot up, her eyes bright and expression shocked.

‘Wait, you meant it?’

‘Of course I did,’ Yasmin said, confused. ‘I told you. You’re my responsibility and I have no interest in trying to control you. It’s my duty to try and set you free. Now cross your fingers, let’s see what happens. I wish -’

‘Princess!’ 

Yasmin looked up to see one of the guards heading towards her. He bowed low, giving the genie a curious look, and fixed a polite smile on his face. 

‘Your mother has requested your presence in your chambers,’ the guard said. ‘She wishes you to choose a dress for this evening.’

Yasmin wanted to groan in frustration but she was a princess. Princesses didn't do that.

‘I’ll be right there,’ she said instead, and with another glance towards the genie the guard turned and walked away.

‘Wait,’ the genie said, putting her hand over Yasmin’s. ‘Save your second wish. Obviously I’m beyond grateful that you want to free me but you have three! Don’t waste your second. There’s so much I could do for you in regards to this whole _tradition must be upheld and you need to find a bae_ thing.’

‘A bae?’

‘Trust me, in about 2000 years or so that’s really going to kick off.’

‘Genie, are you sure?’ Yasmin asked, and she realised their hands were still entwined. No wonder the guard had been so curious.

‘More than sure,’ the genie replied, and her smile did seem genuine. ‘Now come on, you’d better not keep your mother waiting.’

‘Come with me, then,’ Yasmin decided. ‘We can tell my parents you’re an old friend from out of town. Sit with me this evening at the banquet. Come to the party with me.’

‘If that is what you wish,’ the genie said, bowing her head, and Yasmin immediately squeezed her hand insistently.

‘ _No._ I told you, I don’t want to control you. I would like you to come to the party with me, but I don’t _expect_ you to. Genie -’ her voice dropped and she tilted up the genie’s chin with her hand, the genie’s eyes soft and adorably confused. ‘I am _inviting_ you to the banquet. Whether you choose to come or not is entirely _your choice.’_

For a moment, Yasmin wondered if the genie was about to cry.

‘My - my choice? I decide?’

‘Yes,’ Yasmin smiled. ‘From now on, until I set you free, _you_ are in charge of your decisions.’

The genie did cry then, or at least a tear trickled down her face and she nodded her head fiercely, squeezing Yasmin’s hand so tightly it almost hurt. 

‘I would. I would like to go to the party with you,’ she said, her voice thick, and Yasmin kissed her gently on her cheek, not missing the way the genie’s face flushed once she’d pulled away. 

‘Well then,’ she said softly, standing and pulling the genie up with her. ‘We’d better find you a pretty dress to wear.’ 

* * *

The lie that the genie - renamed _Geena_ for the sake of her family - was the daughter of her old dancing teacher, back in town for a visit, clearly wasn’t particularly believed by her family; but fortunately her parents were too busy keeping Prince Ryan and his entourage entertained and hadn’t the time to question it.

The prince was sat on her left side during the banquet, with the genie on her right, and Yasmin had to admit he was more stimulating conversation than the other suitors who had visited her. He’d actually read a book, for one thing, and had views which fitted in rather nicely with her own. He was kind and gentle but Yasmin couldn’t stir herself to feel even the slightest bit of attraction towards him. He was good company and she enjoyed speaking to him, but there was no spark. 

Her parents giving her suggestive looks over the course of the evening also didn't help, and after the food and tables had been pushed to one side and they’d danced together Yasmin was even more sure she wasn’t romantically attracted to him, though she had to admit he was a good dancer. 

The genie seemed to enjoy speaking to him, however, and Yasmin left the two of them to it. The genie was wearing one of Yasmin’s old saris, a deep blue fabric with jewels in her hair and around her neck. She looked beautiful and Yasmin could tell Ryan was enamoured by her, though it was hard not to be. Everytime Yasmin looked at her she felt her heart beat quickly with an unknown emotion, and she wondered if this was how she was supposed to feel when she looked at Prince Ryan. 

For the first time in her life, Yasmin wondered if she was attracted to women. 

‘Well?’ her father asked. ‘He’s a fine man, isn’t he?’ 

‘He is,’ Yasmin admitted. ‘Very knowledgeable in current political situations also.’

‘Finally, a prince who pays attention,’ her mother said. ‘I’ve invited him to stay a little longer, so the two of you can get to know each other more.’

Her implication was clear and Yasmin felt nauseous as she looked back at him. He was now talking to his Vizier, Graham, and the genie was back by the food stand shovelling grapes into her mouth like it was going out of fashion. Yasmin wondered if she actually needed to eat, or if she just enjoyed it. 

‘Your friend seems quite taken with him as well,’ her father said, a warning in his voice, and Yasmin resisted the urge to roll her eyes in response. She did feel something though, deep down in her gut. Was it jealousy? Annoyance? She looked at the genie and felt a twist in her stomach she’d never felt before. The genie was the first exciting thing to happen in her life for years, and she felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. 

‘Princess Yasmin,’ Prince Ryan said, appearing in front of her and smiling politely. ‘The Sultan informed me you have a marvellous device specifically for looking at the stars. I was wondering if you would be gracious enough to show me, when you have a moment?’

Polite, courteous, and handsome to boot. He’d be the perfect partner. If she felt anything for him. Which she didn't.

‘The princess is free now,’ her mother replied cheerily, and Yasmin wanted to scream. ‘I’m sure she’d love to show you our telescope.’

Yasmin swallowed and, for a moment, thought she saw a flash of sympathy in the prince’s eyes. 

‘Of course,’ she said, keeping her voice as level as she could and plastering what she hoped was a half-believable smile on her face. ‘It’s just this way.’

As she headed off towards the tower with Ryan she spotted the genie lying back in a chair, gazing up at the stars with a loopy smile on her face. When the genie spotted the two of them walking away she gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and Yaz felt that unknown feeling burn in her stomach again. 

Ryan was as polite as ever as they climbed the steps to the tower, asking her questions about her life and her childhood, but once they were at the top he seemed almost relieved and Yasmin noticed his change of mood immediately. 

‘So, are you here because of duty as well, then?’ he asked, and Yasmin laughed. 

‘As you are, by the sound of it.’

‘It’s my grandfather,’ Ryan said with a shrug. ‘He wants me married off. I suspect it’s because he thinks it’ll make me more responsible. I’m not sure he’s right. You?’

‘Women can’t be sultans,’ Yasmin replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, and Ryan laughed.

‘Ah yes. That old chestnut. Well we clearly have no romantic interest in each other so how do you want to play this?’

Yasmin felt relieved by his honesty. He was so kind and sweet that she’d been afraid of upsetting him when she turned him down. 

‘My parents have invited you to stay a little longer, haven’t they? Stay. Enjoy the kingdom. Perhaps father will even let me leave the castle walls if I have a prince as an escort. Then, at the end of your visit if nothing develops, we can tell my father and your grandfather that we’ve decided to remain friends.’ 

‘Then my grandfather can strangle me,’ Ryan replied cheerfully, but he held out his hand for Yasmin to shake, which she did. 

They remained at the tower for a little longer, during which time Yasmin did show Ryan the telescope, and they were just heading back down the stairs when Ryan suddenly said:

‘Your friend, Geena. Is she betrothed to anyone?’

Yasmin felt that emotion burn in her chest again but this time she knew exactly what it was. Definitely jealousy. Why was she jealous? The genie was - well, a _genie,_ a cosmic entity all powerful and slaved to a lamp. Yasmin would set her free and she’d be free to be with who she chose. Why shouldn’t it be Ryan? At least he’d treat her well. 

‘Ah, don’t worry,’ Ryan said with a smile on his face. ‘I’ll stay well away from her.’

‘I - pardon?’ Yasmin was confused. She hadn’t said anything out loud, had she? Could the prince read minds? 

‘Your face,’ Ryan replied. ‘Told me everything I needed to know.’ He paused in their descent, waiting on the step and Yasmin looked at him in confusion. Her face? What was wrong with her face?

‘It’s alright, you know,’ Ryan said gently, almost conspiratorially. ‘Being in love with a woman. There’s nothing wrong with it, no matter what we’re raised to believe.’

‘In _love,’_ Yasmin spluttered. ‘I’m not - we - I don’t -’

‘You look at her like she holds the stars in her eyes,’ Ryan pointed out. ‘And I don’t blame you. She is wonderful.’

With that, he offered her another gentle smile before continuing down the steps, and Yasmin was left alone with her thoughts and her heart pumping fast in her chest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ridiculousness continues!

Most of the guests had retired to bed by the time Ryan and Yasmin came down from the tower. Her parents were still there and her mother looked at her, eyebrows raised encouragingly, but Yasmin turned away. It was later than she’d thought and she just wanted to go to bed. 

Prince Ryan bowed and smiled at her, taking her hand to kiss. 

‘Goodnight, Princess,’ he said softly. ‘Thank you for an enchanting evening.’

She smiled at him in response but it didn't meet her eyes, and as he turned to head back to his rooms she realised the genie had vanished. She patted down her skirts, panic filling her, but the lamp was still there hidden away and she called Ananya over to help her get ready for bed. It would likely be another long day tomorrow, but at least she’d have her sister home to help her manage it. Or make it worse. It was always difficult to say. 

Tucked up in bed, the moonlight streaming in through the windows, Yasmin took out the lamp from its hiding place under her pillow and held it in her hands, feeling its warm metal under her touch. She hadn’t noticed the genie going back into it, but she hadn’t spotted her anywhere else in the palace, and as she whispered quietly ‘ _ are you in there?’  _ a thin tendril of blue smoke climbed lazily out of the spout; forming a little hand that waved cheerfully at her. 

Yasmin smiled and put the lamp on her bedside table, angled towards the sky so the genie could stargaze again if she wished, and burrowed down under her sheets.

Suddenly, she found herself entirely unable to sleep. 

It was Ryan’s fault, she was sure of it. Before meeting the genie, Yasmin had never even  _ considered  _ the possibility that she was into women, though when you hardly saw any - locked up as she was in the palace walls with only the servants and guards for company - was that surprising? She didn't know what a Time Lord was, she barely knew what a genie was, but this mysterious woman was giving her more emotions than she knew what to do with. She was wonderful, kind, beautiful, but Yasmin was having a hard time trying to correlate those emotions to  _ love.  _ She’d only known her a day. Barely even that! Yet how had Ryan so quickly put a name to that which she could hardly believe herself?

‘Am I clueless?’ Yasmin whispered to the empty air. 

‘Don’t know, are you?’ a sleepy voice whispered from inside the lamp, and Yasmin almost jumped in surprise.

‘Genie?’

She moved slowly out of the spout of the lamp, blue tendrils climbing higher into the night air until the genie was sat cross legged on her bed, wearing her earlier outfit of the strange tunic as she yawned and tilted her head at Yasmin curiously. She had some kind of peculiar mask pushed on her head, as though it was fitted to go across her eyes, and her legs were bare; hair mussed up around her face. 

‘Sorry,’ Yasmin said quietly. ‘I didn't mean to wake you.’

‘You sounded sad,’ the genie replied. ‘I wanted to make sure you were okay.’

A thought occurred to Yasmin and she suddenly felt uncomfortable, stomach turning and heart clenching. 

‘You didn't - I mean, you didn't come out to check on me because you - we -’

‘Because you’re my mistress?’ the genie said, smiling softly at her. ‘No. It was because you sounded miserable you silly thing. What’s wrong? Did your moonlit walk with the prince not go well?’

It was impossible to read her face, and Yasmin only shook her head. 

‘No. It went fine, actually. The prince is very perceptive, about things which I have little knowledge of apparently.’

The genie frowned. 

‘What does that mean? Was he mean? Did he say something hurtful?’

Yasmin shook her head. 

‘No. No he was kind. He just said something to me and I’m having difficulty understanding what it means.’ 

The genie scooted a little closer till she was sitting in front of her and could reach out to take hold of Yasmin’s hand, her blue skin a little darker in the moonlit room. 

‘What did he say?’

Yasmin looked at her, at her warm eyes and soft expression. She was like no other person Yasmin had ever met, yet what was it Yasmin felt for her? Could it be love?

‘Have you ever been in love?’ she asked, and the genie looked a little confused.

‘Of course.’ 

‘What does it feel like?’

‘Well…’ The genie pondered for a moment, eyes raised to the ceiling as she considered. ‘I suppose it feels like being part of something greater than yourself. When you’re in love with someone, it's like you’ve found the other piece that makes you whole, without ever really noticing it was missing. It’s someone to miss, someone to kiss, someone to squeeze, someone to ple- no sorry I’m quoting  _ Blues Brothers  _ lyrics now, but are you getting the gist?’

‘I think so,’ Yasmin said.

‘Yaz…’ the genie said gently. ‘Have you never been in love with anyone before?’

She wasn’t being unkind, Yasmin knew that, but she felt so foolish suddenly. How was it that she’d never experienced romantic love? It appeared everyone had apart from her.

She knew the answer to that though. She’d never been allowed outside the palace. How was she supposed to meet someone when she couldn’t leave? Perhaps she wasn’t in love with the genie. Perhaps she just  _ thought  _ she was because she was the first person she’d interacted with besides from her family.

‘I - I don’t know,’ she said truthfully, and the genie  _ hmmed  _ thoughtfully. 

‘Is this about Ryan?’ she asked, and if she was disappointed she did a good job of hiding it.

‘Ryan?’ Yasmin shook her head. ‘No. No this isn’t about Ryan. He’s kind but… no. It’s someone else.’

‘Who?’

Yasmin looked up at her, at her blue skin and her green eyes and that peculiar scronch expression she seemed so fond of. She was supposed to be all powerful, could she really not see how Yasmin felt about her? If she was so magical, could she not just interpret Yasmin’s feelings and put her out of her misery?

‘Earlier, you told me to save my second wish,’ Yasmin remembered. ‘Why was that?’

‘Ah! Well…’ 

The genie snapped her fingers and immediately pages and pages of text began to shoot up in the air around them, falling like snow around Yasmin’s room as she laughed and lifted her arms to feel the paper against her skin.

The genie snatched one, seemingly at random, out of the air and held it up. When Yasmin looked, she saw it was the law setting out the chain of succession. It had to be a male heir. 

‘I can make this go away,’ the genie said, and Yaz saw she was deadly serious. ‘If you wish it, this rule just disappears and you will become the Sultan’s heir.’

‘You can do that?’ Yasmin whispered, stunned. ‘You can make my father change his mind?’

The genie nodded and handed her the page. She held it in her hands, staring down at the text that effectively disowned her if she didn't marry a man. 

For a second, she truly understood how powerful the genie was. 

‘I couldn’t,’ Yasmin said quietly, shaking her head. ‘It wouldn’t be right. My father needs to be persuaded, I know he can be. I don’t want him changing his mind because I forced him to think a certain way using magic.’

‘Even if it would get you out of a forced marriage?’ the genie asked softly, and Yasmin nodded sadly. 

‘There are worse things in the world than being married,’ she said quietly. ‘At least I have some say over the person I marry.’ 

When she looked up, the genie was smiling sadly at her. 

‘You’re so… kind,’ the genie said quietly. ‘Stuck in a lamp for thousands of years really makes you forget there is still some good left in humanity.’

‘Speaking of,’ Yasmin said, grabbing the lamp. ‘I made you a promise, I intend to uphold it.’

The genie took the lamp out of her hands and left it in the bed between them.

‘Save your second wish, princess,’ she said softly. 

‘I want you free, genie,’ Yasmin said. ‘I don’t want to control you.’

‘Yasmin,’ the genie said gently, and the use of her full name surprised her a little. ‘If anyone deserves a wish, it’s you. I would be honoured to grant anything you asked of me.’

The softness in her eyes surprised Yasmin and for a moment all she could do was stare at her, then the genie scronched her face thoughtfully and a smile stretched across her face. 

‘You know what you need,’ the genie said. ‘A new perspective. Specifically…’

She leapt up off the bed, her tunic transforming into the grey star-covered outfit she’d been wearing earlier, and she waved her hands until blue smoke appeared around her, twisting and weaving and curling through the air until suddenly there was a large carpet in front of them; hovering about 2 feet off the ground.

Yasmin stared in astonishment. 

‘Is that…?’

‘A flying carpet?’ the genie grinned. ‘Yup. Hop on! I’m gonna take you for a spin.’

She stepped neatly onto the carpet and sat in the middle, patting the space next to her cheerfully. 

Yasmin stepped out of bed cautiously and stood in front of it, hovering anxiously by the side of the carpet. The genie rolled her eyes and grabbed Yasmin’s hand, pulling her on and sitting her down next to her. She was warm against Yasmin’s side and she smiled excitedly at her. 

‘Hold on, and try not to fall off,’ she said seriously. ‘People think my TARDIS driving is bad, this is gonna be  _ much  _ worse. When you’re ready!’ 

These last words were seemingly directed at the carpet beneath them, and Yasmin barely had time to yell before they shot into the air and dropped over the side of the balcony.

Yasmin screamed and clutched hold of the genie who yelled ‘WWWOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!’ and held her arms up in the air. 

Yasmin kept her eyes closed, her face pressed against the genie’s neck as her stomach swooped, until she suddenly felt the carpet level out; a cool breeze tickling her face and blowing her hair behind her. 

‘Hey, open up,’ the genie said, nudging her. ‘You’re gonna love this.’

Yasmin opened her eyes and stared in wonder. 

The carpet was flying above the city, lights glittering below and the stars shining above. She could hear voices as people danced in the squares below, the smell of food drifting up her nostrils and happy laughing and singing filling her ears. She realised she didn't feel frightened, hovering as she was on a carpet hundreds of feet up in the air, but with the genie pressed against her she’d never felt more safe in all her life. Finally, she was outside the palace walls and her city was  _ beautiful.  _

The carpet was gliding slowly downwards, heading towards the ground, but no-one seemed to notice of it and when the carpet was about 3 feet off the ground the genie jumped down and held out her hand for Yasmin to take, laughing when her wobbly legs almost crumpled beneath her as her feet made contact with the ground. Yasmin fell forwards into the genie and clung to her until the vertigo had subsided. She had her head pressed against her chest and as the genie helped to steady her she realised she could hear  _ two  _ hearts thumping in the genie’s chest. The shock must have been evident on her face, but the genie was looking around them and didn't notice.

‘Hmm, bit conspicuous,’ the genie said, considering Yasmin’s outfit, and she realised with horror she was in her nightclothes. 

The genie waved her hand and a few seconds later Yasmin’s nightdress turned into an ordinary abaya, a sturdy pair of shoes appearing on her feet.

‘Much better,’ the genie said. ‘Shall we?’

She held out her arm and Yasmin took it, her earlier tiredness completely forgotten. She was outside! Despite the late hour, the city was still busy and Yasmin couldn’t keep the smile off her face as they walked through the streets towards the main square. There was a party going on and she could hear music and see the colourful swish of the dancer’s costumes, a bonfire in the middle of the square crackling and sending sparks shooting up into the night sky.

The genie got them some food, some strange wrap Yasmin had never had before, and they leant against the wall as they ate it; watching the dancing and the party continue around them. It was a magical night, more charged and energetic than the banquet for the prince had been earlier, and when the music changed to a dance Yasmin knew well she turned to the genie; finding her starry eyed and melancholy as she leant against the wall with a sad smile on her face. 

‘Can you dance?’

‘When I choose to,’ the genie shrugged.

‘Would you dance with me?’

The genie faltered, face slack, and for a moment Yasmin was worried she’d offended her but then a smile - wide and beautiful - stretched across the genie’s face. 

‘I’d - I’d be honoured, princess. No-one has ever asked me to dance before.’

‘Then it’s high time we fixed that,’ Yasmin said, holding out her hand for the genie to take. ‘Do you know this one?’

‘I’m all powerful,’ the genie grinned. ‘I know all of them.’ 

It was a dabke, one Yasmine very rarely got to perform, and as she danced with the genie she felt a thrill flooding through her. She was outside, dancing with a woman, in the middle of the night. If her parents knew they would be  _ furious.  _

The genie was grinning also and, true to her word, she knew every step and danced just as well as Yasmin did. They didn't touch each other, moving around in circles instead, but it still felt more electrically charged than Yasmin’s dance with the prince earlier in the evening and she was breathless and laughing when it finished.

They walked back through the streets as the sun was beginning to rise, the party now over, and the genie found a quiet spot for her to summon the carpet. Yasmin tucked her arm through the genie’s, sitting close against her side as the carpet gliding smoothly up into the air and headed back towards the castle. In the early morning sun she could see the city a little clearer, the merchants in the bazaar already beginning to unpack their wares, the labyrinth of streets stretching through little alleyways in the city. It was beautiful and Yasmin watched it all with a sad smile on her face. Why hadn’t she been allowed to go out into the streets? Why had she been kept away?

Back on the balcony Yasmin stumbled, exhausted, into bed. The genie transformed back into her tunic with the strange eye mask perched on her head and was about to go back into the lamp when Yasmin took her hand. 

‘You can sleep here, if you like,’ she said quietly, patting the space next to her. 

The genie looked at her, her ancient eyes full of something soft Yasmin couldn’t name, and she stretched out next to her with a contented smile. 

Yasmin would later blame her tiredness as she curled into the genie and pressed her face against her neck, but she didn't imagine the warm arms that wrapped around her waist and held her tightly and as she drifted off to sleep she heard those two hearts beating softly in the genie’s chest, a soothing rhythm to send her to sleep. 

* * *

‘MORNING!’

Yasmin was jolted awake by the arrival of her sister falling onto the bed next to her as loudly as she possibly could. Fortunately, the genie had vanished back into the lamp. Yasmin wasn’t sure how Sonya would react to finding her sister curled in bed around another woman. She could still smell her on her pillow and she quickly brushed a single strand of blonde hair away before Sonya noticed, though she wasn’t usually that observant.

‘Morning,’ Yasmin smiled, sitting up to hug her. She had missed her sister, though during her stay Sonya would no doubt irritate her to the point where she couldn’t wait for her to leave. 

‘I hear there’s a handsome prince here,’ Sonya said, wriggling her eyebrows. 

‘He’s all yours,’ Yasmin laughed, though truthfully she didn't doubt for a minute that her younger sister and the prince would get on. 

‘Really? Another one?’ Sonya said exasperated. ‘You’re going to have to get married eventually you know. After all,  _ women can’t be Sultans.’ _

She said these words sarcastically and her last sentence was in a near-perfect imitation of their father, but Yasmin still felt her heart tug painfully and she remembered the genie’s offer from the previous night. 

_ I can make this go away. _

Surely it would be wrong to use magic to alter someone’s point of view, no matter how much Yasmin disagreed with it? 

‘He’s nice, you’ll like him,’ Yasmin told her sister, climbing out of bed and stretching. She spotted the lamp on her bedside table, the early morning sunshine reflecting off of it, and she hid it under her pillow when Sonya wasn’t looking. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to find the genie, though likely she’d only wish for new clothes. 

Sonya headed off to unpack her bags when Ananya came in to help her dress and Yasmin sat in silence in front of her mirror, trying to unravel the turbulent thoughts in her head. If she concentrated she could still feel the genie pressed against her, blonde hair tickling her nose and those peculiar heart beats lulling her to sleep. She’d had female friends growing up, but they were usually the daughters of the servants and they’d either moved away or gone to work in the city.

The one place she wasn’t allowed. 

‘Are you alright this morning, princess?’ Ananya asked. She seemed eager to speak about the previous night but was sensing Yasmin wasn’t in the mood. 

Yasmin sighed, twisting the fabric of her dress in her fingers. 

‘How do you know if you have feelings for someone?’ she asked. 

Ananya paused, fingers motionless in Yasmin’s hair as she considered the question.

‘Difficult to say, princess,’ she said after a moment. ‘Sometimes you know straight away. Sometimes you don’t figure it out until later when it sneaks up on you all at once. I sense it is perhaps  _ not  _ the prince you have feelings for?’

Yasmin smiled sadly. 

‘He’s charming and kind but… no. We talked last night and neither of us felt anything for each other. Mother and father won’t be happy.’

Ananya finished Yasmin’s hair and sat beside her, crossing her legs and placing her hands delicately in her lap.

‘And Geena? Your friend? I’m assuming this is about her. You both seemed very close last night.’

Yasmin felt panic surge up inside her and Ananya placed a gentle hand on her own, squeezing reassuringly.

‘It’s alright, Yasmin,’ she said softly. ‘We cannot always choose who we fall in love with, and Geena seems wonderful. You were both clearly very happy together.’

‘Nothing can happen with the two of us,’ Yasmin whispered sadly. ‘I would prefer my feelings be towards the prince, at least then my father would approve.’ 

‘But you wouldn’t be happy with the prince,’ Ananya pointed out. ‘I mean I expect you would be, he is a good man, but not in the same way as you’d be happy with Geena.’

Yasmin looked towards the pillow where she knew the lamp was hidden. She thought of the poor soul trapped inside, helpless until she was set free. She stood and walked towards her bed, retrieving the lamp and holding it in her hands. She didn't care if the genie wanted to grant her a second wish, she’d been held prisoner for long enough.

‘Ananya,’ she said to her maidservant. ‘There’s something you should know about Geena -’

But before she had the chance to finish, the door opened and her mother appeared around it.

‘Aren’t you ready yet?’ she reprimanded her daughter. ‘We’re holding a welcome lunch for your sister. Come along, don’t keep the prince waiting.’

She winked at Yasmin and her heart fell. Her mother was a wonderful woman, but she’d never understand her feelings towards the genie. 

She felt Ananya’s hand at her elbow. 

‘You can tell me later,’ she said quietly. ‘Come on. Perhaps some food will make you feel a little better.’

* * *

Inside the lamp, the genie curled up against the side of the polished brass wall and put her head in her hands. Around her, written in looping handwriting and traversing every available patch of space offered to her, was equations and numbers and theories and strategies that all pointed back to the same thing. Unless she was wished free, she was never getting out.

That wasn’t the reason for the Time Lord-turned-genie’s current mardiness though. She’d worked that out centuries back. 

_ Of all the people to fall in love with,  _ she thought miserably to herself.  _ It had to be a princess from another universe.  _

She looked at a patch of wall where a small series of numbers was written. It was a calculation she’d started a long time ago but she’d finally completed it. Once she was set free, she would return to the space where she was initially trapped, severing her connection to the lamp and therefore this world.

And also, at the same time, severing her connection to the woman she’d fallen hopelessly in love with. 

She would never see Yasmin again. 

That was going to be particularly difficult now she knew Yasmin felt the same way. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *trigger warning for panic attack/anxiety*
> 
> Sorry for the delay! I hope this chapter (in which we somewhat further the plot) makes up for it :)

There was a seat available next to the prince, clearly left free for her, and Yasmin smiled warmly at him as she slid in beside him, Ryan offering a smile in return. She felt better after they’d had their talk on the tower, more confident around him and more sure of herself, and she noticed her sister was sat on his other side looking up at him with dreamy eyes. Sonya was about as obvious as it was possible to be, and Yasmin was trying so hard not to laugh at Sonya’s expression that she missed the way Ryan’s grandfather - and his Grand Vizier - was looking at her with narrowed eyes; expression cold and calculating. 

‘Have they been okay?’ Yasmin whispered, nodding at her parents, and she saw the prince bite back the urge to laugh as he smiled. 

‘They’ve been nothing if not welcoming,’ he replied quietly. He looked along the bench and then at the door, brow furrowing. ‘Where’s Geena?’ he asked in a low voice.

Yasmin felt the lamp under the material of her clothes, safe and tucked away out of sight. 

‘She was tired this morning,’ Yasmin lied. ‘She’ll be joining us later.’ 

‘I hope she’s alright,’ Ryan said, and there was nothing but kindness in his voice.

* * *

Inside the lamp, the genie was  _ not  _ alright. 

‘Don’t panic. Okay  _ stop  _ panicking. No don’t panic more!’ 

The genie sat on the floor, head in her hands, trying to rock herself out of the anxiety crawling up her chest and into her throat. She wasn’t trapped. She wasn’t trapped. Yasmin was going to set her free, she’d said so! Yasmin wouldn’t lie to her. After thousands of years stuck in a lamp she was finally going to be free.

‘You’re okay you’re okay calm down you’re okay.’

The genie pressed her hands against her ears, and pressed her face against her knees, drawn up tightly to her chest. 

Yaz would let her out. She would. She’d  _ said  _ so. 

* * *

‘Perhaps you’d like to show the prince around the gardens this morning, Yasmin?’ her mother asked politely. 

‘I’ll come too,’ Sonya said, smile wide. ‘I’d love to hear about your kingdom, Prince Ryan.’

Yasmin had never been more grateful for her younger sister in that moment, though she could tell her parents didn't look best amused. 

‘That sounds like a perfect morning,’ Ryan said, polite as ever. ‘Would there be the possibility of going into the city as well? The people were so welcoming.’

That struck a nerve and Yasmin could see her parents exchanging glances with each other. It would be impolite of them to refuse the prince, though surely they wouldn’t allow their two daughters to accompany him?

‘I’m sure something can be arranged,’ the Sultan said after a moment, and Sonya rolled her eyes.

* * *

‘It’s fine. It’s  _ totally  _ fine. Everything’s  _ more than  _ fine. You’ll get out the lamp, you’ll find the TARDIS and you can get over this silly infatuation with the princess. You’ve been alone for too long! You can’t just latch onto everyone you meet purely because they’re  _ nice  _ to you.’

The genie knew this wasn’t true, but she was having a hard time coping with the knowledge that - in the not too distant future - she would never see Yasmin’s kind, beautiful face again.

But she’d be free, wouldn’t she?

_ ‘Stop panicking,’  _ the genie hissed to herself, wiping angry tears away from her cheeks.  _ ‘Stop it. You’re a Time Lord you don’t panic.’ _

Her head snapped up, anxiety clutching her hearts so tightly she forgot to breathe. 

‘A Time Lord without a TARDIS, stuck in a lamp, in another universe, all by herself.’ 

She collapsed to her knees, fist in her mouth as she screamed and tried to muffle the sound.

‘Dontpanicdontpanicdontpanic-’

* * *

Her parents left shortly after they’d eaten, excusing themselves politely so they could sit in their main hall and receive questions and give aid to the people in the villages, leaving Yasmin, Sonya, and Ryan alone together. 

‘Wow. Your parents really don’t like you going into the city, do they?’ Ryan noted, eyebrow raised. 

‘They don’t like  _ her  _ going out into the city,’ Sonya replied, thumb pointed at Yasmin. ‘She has to be wrapped up in protective clothing at all times.’ 

‘You must be so bored,’ Ryan said, and Yasmin nodded. 

‘It does get a bit tiresome, there’s only so much reading I can do.’

‘Haven’t you ever thought of sneaking out?’ Ryan asked, and Yasmin smiled as she thought about her magic carpet ride the previous evening.

‘What makes you think I haven’t?’

_ ‘Yasmin,’  _ Sonya said, astonished. ‘Not such the perfect princess after all.’ 

‘I don’t want you to feel pressured into showing me the gardens, by the way,’ Ryan said. ‘I’d be more than happy to entertain myself.’

‘Nonsense,’ Yasmin smiled. ‘I’d love to show you.’

‘You should ask Geena to come along! If she isn’t too tired from last night’s dancing, that is,’ the prince said with a twinkle in his eye, and Sonya’s eyebrows shot up as Yasmin flushed pink. 

‘Who’s Geena?’ she asked with a grin.

But before Yasmin could answer, she became aware of something peculiar happening underneath the fabric of her skirts. 

It was as though the lamp was vibrating against her leg, a dull  _ thud  _ reverberating against her skin. 

She realised with horror she could hear the genie’s voice, teeny and barely perceptible, calling up to her. 

_ ‘Letmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeoutletmeout-’ _

Horrified, Yasmin jumped to her feet and ran from the hall, not bothering to tell her sister or the prince where she was going as she ran into an empty store cupboard and seized the lamp from under her skirt, rubbing it fiercely until the genie appeared; collapsing onto her knees and gasping for breath.

‘Genie, genie talk to me what’s wrong?’ 

Yasmin knelt in front of her, hands on the genie’s shoulders. The genie looked utterly inconsolable, tears down her face, chest heaving, hands shaking, and she fell forwards and clung to Yasmin tightly as the princess tried to talk her through controlling her breathing. She let the lamp drop to the floor as she held her, feeling wet tears against her skin and hating herself for not freeing her the night before. She didn't need a second wish! She was the princess of an entire kingdom. What more could she want?

‘I’m - I’m okay,’ the genie stammered after a moment, curling against Yasmin’s chest and clutching her tightly. ‘I am. I’m okay.’

‘What happened?’ Yasmin asked gently as she held her soothingly and ran her fingers through tangled blonde locks. 

‘I - I’m not sure,’ the genie admitted. ‘I just felt so - so -’

‘I think you had a panic attack,’ Yasmin said softly, and the genie didn't bother trying to deny it. ‘I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you in there for so long.’

‘It’s not your fault,’ the genie urged. ‘I’ve been in there for thousands of years, it all just suddenly got -’

She trailed off, unsure of the right word, and Yasmin kissed the top of her head softly. 

‘Too much?’ Yasmin whispered, and the genie stayed silent. 

‘Yasmin!’ 

Suddenly and without warning, Sonya burst into the room. 

Her jaw hit the floor.

_ ‘What.’ _

It was at that moment that Yasmin realised the genie was - well - a  _ genie,  _ blue skin and all. Already she was transforming her skin back into its pale human tone but it was too late, Sonya had definitely seen her.

Sonya looked at the genie and then looked at the lamp.

And then she looked at Yasmin.

‘That’s a genie,’ she said, matter of factly. 

‘She’s not a  _ that,’  _ Yasmin protested.

‘Is this Geena?’

‘Hey, you must be Princess Sonya,’ the genie said, raising a hand weakly.

Sonya, with a care and tenderness that Yasmin didn't know her sister possessed, knelt down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her arm.

‘Are you alright? You look a little flustered.’

The genie only nodded weakly. She looked better. Now she was in her disguised skin Yasmin could see a red flush on her cheeks, and she wasn’t quite as breathless as she had been moments before; though where Yasmin had her hand resting against the genie’s neck she realised she could feel two frantic pulses against her fingers. 

‘Come on, let’s get you some fresh air,’ Sonya said, holding out a hand for the genie to take. ‘You must be awfully squashed in that lamp.’ 

Between the two princesses, they pulled the genie to her feet and led her outside into the gardens and the bright sunshine. Prince Ryan was already there and his eyes widened at the sight of her dangling between the two women.

‘Good morning, Geena. Are you well?’ he asked, and the genie smiled at him.

‘Yeah, all good. Just needed some air.’

They sat together on the grass, lying back in the sunshine as one of the servants ran back inside to grab some food for the genie. It was another bright, beautiful day and, as the servant arrived with a loaded plate, Yasmin realised she was just grateful to be outside in the bright light with other people. The genie was sat close to her, almost pressed against her side, and Yasmin could smell the faint floral tones drifting up from her shampoo. 

She gave her sister a warning look every time Sonya’s gaze fell upon the genie. It was clear she had questions she wanted to ask and Yasmin hoped her expression conveyed the secret meaning that  _ Prince Ryan doesn’t know she’s a mythical cosmic entity. Keep your mouth shut.  _

After the genie had eaten they walked around the gardens, enjoying each other’s company and the sight of the flowers in bloom. Sonya and Ryan walked ahead and the genie grinned and nudged Yasmin’s arm. 

‘Looks like you might get let off the hook,’ she said, cheerily. ‘Those two seem to be getting on like a house on fire.’

It was a curious expression, yet Yasmin couldn’t help but agree. Ryan certainly seemed to be more interested with her younger sister than he had been with her, and Yasmin had no doubts they’d be happy and kind to each other. 

‘You don’t look particularly pleased about that?’ the genie said quietly. ‘Did you - um…’ she swallowed, twisting the fabric of her outfit and looking a little uncomfortable. Yasmin for the life of her couldn’t figure out why.

‘Did I what?’ she asked, when the end to the genie’s query wasn’t forthcoming.

‘Did you develop feelings for him?’ she asked cautiously, and Yasmin shook her head. 

‘No. Not for him.’

The words slipped out before she had a chance to snatch them back and the genie froze, face slack as she stared at her. Yasmin felt her face flushing, so intense was the genie’s gaze. She couldn’t know, could she? There was no way she’d know how Yasmin felt. 

‘What do you mean, “not for h -”’

‘Prince Ryan!’

Four of the guards were strolling across the gardens towards them. They were palace guards, uniforms resplendent in blues and golds against the sun, and they bowed low when they reached the small group.

‘We’ve been sent by the Sultan,’ one of the guards said. ‘To escort you into the city, if you wish.’

‘That sounds perfect,’ Ryan said with a wide grin. He turned to the other three. ‘What do you think? Would you mind showing me the sights?’

The guards exchanged an awkward look amongst each other, and Yasmin knew what they were going to say even before they said it.

‘Um, the invitation was only for yourself and Princess Sonya,’ one of them said. 

Ryan frowned and turned to look at Yasmin, who only shrugged.

‘They don’t like me leaving the palace,’ she said quietly. ‘You should go, though! Sonya knows the city better than I do.’

‘That doesn’t seem fair,’ Ryan said quietly.

‘No,’ Sonya agreed. ‘It never is.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ Yasmin smiled. ‘Geena and I can keep ourselves amused. I’ll see you this evening for dinner.’ 

‘We have a message for you too, Princess Yasmin,’ the guard said politely. ‘The Sultan has asked to speak with you privately. He is waiting in his study.’

‘That can’t be good,’ Sonya said, pulling a face.

‘I’ll be right there,’ Yasmin told the guards, and they turned and walked away; the sun catching their armour and blinding the four of them. 

‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Sonya asked. ‘For backup, I mean.’

Yasmin shook her head. 

‘No, it’s alright. I’ll be fine.’ 

‘What’s it about?’ Ryan asked, cluelessly, and Yasmin shook her head sadly. 

‘It’s alright. We’ll speak about it later. Enjoy your day! Bring me back something from the market.’

She walked back through the gardens, stretching out her fingers to feel the leaves of the planets against her skin. 

The genie looked at Ryan and Sonya.

‘I’ll make sure she’s okay,’ she promised, before hurrying off after the princess; her bracelets jangling on her wrists with the motion. 

‘You should go into the town with my sister and the prince!’ Yasmin said with the genie was walking by her side. ‘It’s a beautiful day.’

‘I’d rather stay with you, if that’s alright,’ the genie said quietly, scronching her face in a gesture Yasmin now adored. ‘You seem… preoccupied with something. A little upset. I don’t want to say  _ mardy  _ but, well, you’re in a mardy mood.’

‘I don’t know what that means,’ Yasmin said, puzzled, and the genie shook her head. 

‘Doesn’t matter. Is something bothering you? What does your dad want to speak to you about?’

Yasmin turned back to look at Sonya and the prince, already getting to their feet ready to head out. They looked perfect together, the perfect couple, and she shook her head sadly. 

‘I expect it’ll be a lecture relating to the law of succession. He wants me to marry Prince Ryan. He’s by far the best suitor I’ve had, but I just don’t feel anything for him.’ She looked up at the genie, eyes soulful. ‘How am I supposed to marry a man I don’t love? We could be happy together and perhaps we’d learn to love each other, but -’

‘No-one should be forced into a marriage due to obligation alone,’ the genie said quietly. ‘The option is still there. If you want me to make your father change his mind, I can. I’m not saying you  _ should,  _ but don’t give up hope, princess.’ 

Yasmin smiled at her, the genie’s eyes soft and warm.

‘I’m so lucky you came into my life,’ Yasmin said softly. ‘Truly I think you’re the best friend I’ve ever had.’

The genie’s smile was soothing, if a little sad. 

‘I’ve never called a master friend,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Aside from one, I mean. But his name actually  _ was  _ the Master and we -’ she trailed off and pulled a face. ‘Never mind. Long story. I’m grateful that you’re my friend though. If I had to call a master friend, I’m grateful you’re the first.’

* * *

The steps to her father’s study were long and steep and Yasmin waited outside the door, trying to suppress the nerves building up inside her. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if her father ordered her to marry the prince. How could she say no? The punishment would be her subsequent disinheritance but would that be so bad? If she was free of the palace walls she could do whatever she wanted. She could travel! Perhaps she could travel with the genie, once she’d freed her. The genie seemed to be from beyond the stars and she longed to see them up close, rather than shining above her in the sky. 

With this thought in mind, Yasmin strengthened her resolve and knocked on the door.

It swung open, and Graham stood there. There was no sign of her father. 

‘Grand Vizier,’ Yasmin said in confusion. ‘What are you doing in my father’s study? I was told he sent for me.’

‘Actually I sent for you,’ Graham replied. He waved his hand and the door swung shut behind her. She heard the lock click.

Yasmin felt cold seep through her. She was in serious danger. 

She could feel the lamp beneath her skirts, but the genie had remained outside in the sun. If she called her now, would she hear her?

‘You’re a sorcerer,’ she said quietly, looking around the room for something she could use to defend herself. 

‘Yes,’ Graham replied. ‘But you - you have something far greater than magic.’

‘I don’t want what you’re referring to,’ Yasmin frowned, deciding to play dumb.

‘Really?’ Graham said, a sneer on his face, ‘only I’m pretty sure I saw you with a genie flying on a magic carpet last night.’

Yasmin felt her heart stutter. She’d been seen. She’d never once considered anyone would see her, late as the hour was, but Graham - clearly the worst possible person to have noticed - had spied her. 

‘I wonder,’ Graham continued, moving slowly around the room and forcing Yasmin to back away from him. ‘How would your parents react to finding out that you spent the time on a carpet, gallivanting about through the town you’re not even allowed in, with another woman rather than my grandson? He’s a fine man is Ryan. A perfect match.’

Yasmin said nothing. She could hardly deny it. 

‘I have an offer to make you,’ Graham continued. ‘One I would advise you play close attention to because it will be the only offer you receive. Hand over the genie, and I will tell my grandson to refuse you. Perhaps I’ll even wish for you to be free of these ridiculous rules, though frankly I’m surprised you haven’t done so yourself.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Yasmin said, trying to sound as assertive as she could. ‘I have no genie, they’re only fairy tales, they don’t actually exist.’

Graham stopped in front of her and Yasmin realised her back was against the window, she was trapped and couldn’t move out the way.

‘Either you hand over the lamp,’ Graham growled. ‘Or I’ll kill you and search the palace until I find it myself.’

Yasmin felt the lamp, cold and heavy under her clothes, and she swallowed hard. 

‘I don’t have it,’ she replied. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ She didn't know what to do, she had no idea how to get herself out of this mess but she did know one thing: she wouldn’t hand the genie over to this man. She wouldn’t inflict a lifetime of suffering and imprisonment on the first true friend she’d made. She would lie and deny anything even if it cost her her life. She would protect the genie with everything she had. 

‘A shame,’ Graham said with a sigh, shaking his head in mock-sadness. ‘I would have let you live.’

Then he grabbed her by the front of her dress and pushed her hard through the window, the glass shattering, her arms pinwheeling in the open air, before she plunged down towards the waters below. 

_ Sorry,  _ she whispered quietly to the genie, closing her eyes as a scream tore itself from her throat. 

She smacked into the water and the world went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES I MADE GRAHAM THE BAD GUY AND I REGRET NOTHING


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, if you're surprised at the rating change you've obviously never read any of my other fics.

The genie wasn’t supposed to be out of her lamp for too long without her master. Or mistress. Whichever. She could already feel her prison trying to tug her back and she gritted her teeth as she tried to ignore it, feeling a dragging sensation in her head as her body tensed with the pain of it. She didn't want to go back into the lamp, she wanted to stay in the sunshine. She wanted to be by Yasmin’s side, she wanted - 

She wanted.

There were a great many things the genie wanted, though she doubted she was going to get any of them. She wanted her freedom, her TARDIS, the whole of time and space at her fingertips. She wanted to surf the stars, to seek out new worlds, to boldly go where no-one -

She stopped herself when she realised she was quoting Star Trek.

‘You’re getting sentimental in your old age,’ she muttered, reaching out a hand to run her fingers through the soft grass around her. She never used to have time to stop and appreciate the beauty of nature that much, always too busy running around stopping Daleks or defusing bombs. She’d forgotten how relaxing it was to simply sit and exist. 

The lamp tugged at her again and she stood and moved a little closer towards the palace, towards where Yasmin was in her father’s study. She tilted her head up to the tower, shielding her eyes from the sun as she tried to catch sight of Yasmin and the Sultan through the window. It was too high up to see anything though and she sat cross legged on the grass, eyes closed as she enjoyed the warm breeze of the afternoon as it tousled her hair and heated her skin. Now she was a little closer to the princess the lamp wasn’t pulling her quite so painfully, though she could feel it deep in her soul nonetheless.

‘Geena!’

The genie looked up and saw Ananya heading towards her. She looked worried, a little harassed, and the genie stood quickly to find out what was the matter.

‘Have you seen the princess?’ Ananya asked quickly. ‘I can’t find her anywhere.’

‘She went to speak with her father,’ the genie replied, indicating the tower. ‘The guards just came out to collect her.’

Ananya frowned. ‘Yasmin can’t be with her father, I’ve just come from the hall where her parents are. Yasmin wasn’t there!’

Cold dread filled the genie’s veins, her hearts pumping fast as she looked up at the tower. If Yasmin wasn’t with her father, who was she with?

She heard a scream, echoing like a gunshot around the stillness of the garden, and suddenly something grabbed hold of the genie and  _ wrenched  _ her towards the palace walls. It was the lamp, she could feel it tugging her back, but how had she gone so far out of its exclusion zone so quickly? 

She shot over the wall and fell like a stone towards the water below, desperately trying to pull herself back up as the blue water rose up to meet her. The lamp had ended up in the water, it must have done, but Yaz had the lamp? The genie knew she hid it under her skirts. Where was Yaz?

Then she remembered the scream and as she crashed headfirst into the water she caught a glimpse of dark hair and richly coloured skirts and knew Yaz was down here too. 

She held her breath but it was more on instinct than anything else. As a Time Lord she had a respiratory bypass system that allowed her to store greater quantities of oxygen before she needed to breathe, but as a genie she hardly needed to breathe at all and she found she could easily call Yasmin’s name as she swam down, kicking her legs as she propelled herself deeper into the water.

Yasmin was unconscious, likely knocked out by the impact of her body hitting the water, and the genie could see the lamp glinting against her leg. Her prison was trying to clutch her, determined to pull her back, but she resisted it as she grabbed hold of Yasmin; feeling the other woman limp and unresponsive against her. She was weighed down by her clothing and even if the genie managed to wake her she’d never be able to swim to the surface, the rich fabrics of her dress had soaked up the water like a sponge.

The genie grabbed her, sliding her arms under the princess’ armpits as she struggled to pull her upright. She couldn’t use her power, she couldn’t move her, why not? What was the point in being all powerful if you couldn’t drag your friend from a watery grave?

Then she caught sight of the cuffs on her wrists and her hearts dropped like stones.

Of course. She was a fixed point now. Time moved around Yasmin and her family but for the genie that was it. She existed in the moment but  _ only  _ in the moment. She couldn’t make her own decisions, she couldn’t rebel against the lamp.

She couldn’t save her friend.

The genie swore, loudly and in Gallifreyan, and clutched Yasmin tightly as she tried to think of what to do. Time was running out, if it hadn’t already, but there had to be a way, had to be a loophole or some way of exploiting the laws and rules that bound her to this world. The wish had to be formal, it had to begin with ‘I wish -’ followed by the wisher rubbing the lamp and stating their desire. 

_ But. _

The genie remembered an old master from years and years ago. He hadn’t been able to speak, in fact that ability had been his first wish, but he’d  _ written it down and signed it with his name.  _

‘Okay, bit of a grey area,’ the genie murmured. ‘Probably not official, probably won’t work, but worth a go?’

Yasmin’s head dropped against her shoulder and the genie sprang into action.

_ ‘Definitely  _ worth a go. Hold on Yaz, just hold on.’

She snatched the lamp from Yasmin’s skirts, placing her hand upon it as she manipulated the princess into rubbing the polished bronze. With the other hand she snapped her fingers and a scroll appeared, long lines of text printed neatly on it with a space for a signature at the bottom. 

‘Just need to backdate it,’ the genie mumbled, concentrating hard as she conjured up a biro. Or tried to. It ended up being a feathered quill which she supposed suited the magical time period she was stuck in.

‘Alright,’ the genie said, wrapping Yasmin’s other hand around the quill and scratching an X onto the paper. ‘This says that at any given moment, if I perceive that your life is in mortal danger, you give me permission and  _ you wish  _ for me to save your life.’

Anxiety and dread filled her as she waited for the wish to take, if it took. It hadn’t worked before but then she’d never cared enough about her master to save them. Yasmin deserved to be saved, she deserved to live.

‘Please, universe,’ the genie begged. ‘You’ve ruined my life enough already. Please give me this.’

Suddenly, like a fire burning in her blood, she felt the wish take hold as the magic surged hot and ferocious inside of her, and the genie grabbed the lamp, grabbed Yasmin, and shot up towards the surface. 

The bright sunshine from an Arabian sky momentarily blinded her, and the genie blinked hard as her grip on Yasmin tightened. The princess was heavy in her arms, weighed down by her skirts and jewels, and the genie shot towards the balcony of her bedroom, depositing her on the chaise longue and kneeling beside her, patting her face and rubbing her chest to try and expel the water. 

‘Yaz, please,’ the genie begged. ‘Don’t do this, don’t die on me.’ 

She bent over the princess, deciding CPR was perhaps worth a go. She pressed down hard over Yasmin’s sternum, feeling the bend of ribs beneath her hands, and tried to keep up a consistent rhythm as tears fell from her eyes and panic gripped both her hearts. To lose the only friend she’d had in millenia, to lose the first person who’d been  _ kind  _ to her in so long.

‘Okay, not gonna work, think of something else,’ the genie muttered, hands pressed against her eyes as she tried to concentrate. What did she have? Rescuing the princess from the water was one thing but she couldn’t bring her back from the dead. No-one could do that, even with time in flux it was against the oldest and most ancient laws of the universe. The only race who’d ever gotten around that rule and cheated death were the -

‘Time Lords,’ the genie realised suddenly. She looked down at her blue hands, at the cuffs around her wrists. She couldn’t break the bonds of magic that tied her to the lamp, but she was still Gallifreyan wasn’t she? She still had two hearts, still had an ectospleen and a binary vascular system. If magic wouldn’t save the princess, perhaps her own alien physiology would. 

‘Please work, please, I know you’re in there,’ the genie muttered, placing her hands on Yasmin’s chest and closing her eyes as she called down to the deepest darkest parts of herself, to the core of her being, to the regeneration energy that thrummed through her veins and fizzed and swam around her mind. She wasn’t a genie, she was a Time Lord. Years of servitude in a lamp serving murderers and thugs couldn’t disguise her true nature, couldn’t beat her down and make her anything less than the person she’d always tried to be, to the name she’d promised to uphold.

The name of the Doctor.

When she opened her eyes again, her hands were glowing golden and wisps of light were disappearing under Yasmin’s skin, brilliant and beautiful in contrast to her natural dark tones and almost blinding as water leaked from the corners of the princess’ mouth.

‘I won’t lose you too,’ the genie whispered. ‘I won’t. I swear. We’ll always be together.’

Yasmin shot upright, gasping water, reaching out to hold on tight to the genie as she looked around the room with wide, terrified eyes. 

‘It’s alright,’ the genie choked, reaching out to pull Yasmin into her arms. ‘You’re safe now, I’ve got you.’

‘It was Graham, the prince’s grandfather,’ Yasmin whispered, holding tight to the genie as she was wrapped in a hug. ‘He’s not who he says he is.’

‘We’ll stop him, whatever he’s planning, we’ll make it right,’ the genie promised her, letting go only to grab a blanket to wrap around Yasmin’s shaking shoulders. ‘You need to get warm though, your skin is ice cold.’

Yasmin looked down at her hand, mouth open in a silent  _ o  _ as golden wisps of residual regeneration energy drifted from her skin and spiralled up into the air.

‘What’s -?’

‘I had to use your second wish to get you out of the water,’ the genie said gently. ‘But that light? It’s regeneration energy. Science, not magic. It’s part of me. Part of who I am. Who I  _ really  _ am.’

‘You saved my life,’ Yasmin whispered. ‘You rescued me.’

‘It cost you a wish!’ the genie quickly reiterated. ‘But… of course I did. I - I…’

She trailed off, lost in the softness of Yasmin’s eyes. 

‘You what, genie?’ Yasmin asked, reaching out a hand to press against her cheek. ‘Tell me.’

The genie reached up, entwining their fingers together and leaning forward. In the early afternoon light Yasmin was so beautiful, she couldn’t look away. After all those years she’d been prisoner, she’d finally met someone whose beauty was inside as well as without. 

‘I love you,’ the genie whispered, and when Yasmin closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together it was like she was back in the TARDIS, the whole of time and space at her fingertips, and the freedom to just be herself finally within her grasp.

The genie reached out immediately to clutch desperately at Yasmin, tangling her fingers in wet hair, feeling heat and warmth spread through her as Yasmin kissed her back so passionately her toes curled and her hearts thumped in unison. When was the last time she’d been kissed like this? Not for a while. Not for a  _ long  _ while. 

It was when Yasmin suddenly let out a violent shudder that the genie remembered she was drenched to the bone and regretfully pulled away from the warmth of her lips and the safety of her arms. 

‘We should warm you up,’ the genie whispered. ‘You’re freezing.’

‘You’ll have to help me get all this off,’ Yasmin replied, her throat suddenly dry as she indicated her water soaked dress. The genie’s eyes went dark and a flush rose on her blue cheeks, but she nodded all the same. 

Yasmin swept her hair out of the way so the genie could get to the fastenings of her dress, swallowing hard as deft fingers undid the buttons and hooks. Whilst the genie freed her from the trappings of her dress and corset, she took the jewels out of her hair and removed her necklace and earrings. Her hair she messily plaited so it was out of the way and when she felt the last hook on the back of her dress unfasten she stood, standing in front of the genie, and let her dress fall from her body.

The genie, in fairness, reacted fairly well considering Yasmin was now standing completely in the nude in front of her. By ‘fairly well’, she simply didn't look at her and turned to look out across the city instead, blushing furiously. 

Yasmin bent down, tilted up her chin, and kissed her so softly the genie practically fell into her, her hands finding purchase on Yasmin’s bare hips and tongue sliding into her mouth as Yasmin’s hands went to the back of the genie’s outfit and deftly undid it until the genie was as bare as she. 

‘I thought you were going to warm me up?’ Yasmin asked, eyes dark as she took the genie’s hand and walked backwards towards her bed, not taking her eyes off of the other woman’s face. 

‘Are you sure now is the best time?’ the genie asked, hating herself for it. ‘What about Graham?’

‘This may be the only chance we get,’ Yasmin whispered. ‘I intend to make the most of it.’

The genie waved her hand and the door of Yasmin’s room locked immediately, sealing them both inside as the backs of Yasmin’s knees hit the bed and she fell backwards, pulling the genie on top of her and wrapping her arms around her bare back as she kissed her again, and again, and again. 

‘Under the covers,’ the genie whispered quietly when she realised her own cool skin wasn’t warming the princess up enough, and Yasmin gladly climbed beneath the sheets as the genie pressed herself against her and reached up a hand to cup her bare breast, lips pressing lightly against her neck as Yasmin moaned and arched her back up into her touch. 

‘I’ve not done this before,’ Yasmin murmured beneath her, tangling her fingers in the genie’s hair as she sighed in contentment when a warm mouth latched onto her nipple and a hot tongue began to lavish attention on her in firm strokes.

‘Anytime you want me to stop,’ the genie said, looking up at her with dark eyes, ‘just tell me.’

‘Don’t you dare stop,’ Yasmin whispered. ‘Please.’

The genie trailed her hand down Yasmin’s stomach, keeping her lips pressed against her skin until her fingers dipped between the princess’ legs and slid into wet heat. She moaned against Yasmin’s chest, feeling the princess grip onto her tightly as she pressed her hips up against her hand, a quiet  _ oh  _ drifting up into the air. 

The genie could feel her core throbbing at the response from Yasmin but she tried to ignore it, focusing on the princess instead as she continuing her journey downwards, pressing her mouth against Yasmin’s breasts, her stomach, her hips as her fingers moved gently between her legs and the princess gasped and squirmed beneath her. She was so receptive to touch and as the genie nipped lightly at the inside of a smooth thigh she realised she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been with a woman like this. Even before she’d been enslaved to the lamp it had definitely been a while. 

She settled between Yasmin’s thighs, thumbs rubbing soothing circles on her skin as she pressed lightly against her with her nose, hearing the princess’ breath catch as she realised what was about to happen.

The genie started off slow, letting Yasmin get used to the new sensations as she carefully ran her tongue along the length of her, hands gripping her thighs, eyes closed as she listened to the strangled gasps and moans from the other woman as firm hands gripped her hair tightly. 

She knew she shouldn’t be doing this, knew it would only hurt more when they were eventually separated from each other, but she was so touch-starved and alone she couldn’t resist her soft touch and gentle kisses. How could anyone when they’d been a prisoner to a lamp for thousands of years?

She carefully moved her hand to Yasmin’s entrance, coating her fingers in arousal before sliding one slowly inside and curling it upwards. The effect was immediate and Yasmin gasped and bucked her hips as the genie kept her tongue swirling gently on her clit, easing her through the new sensation. Yasmin didn't seem to mind the intrusion, if anything she only pressed her hips down harder and let out a quiet mewling sound as the genie thrust into her gently and sucked her clit lightly. She squeezed her own thighs together, feeling desire flooding through her, and kept up the pressure until Yasmin started panting quietly and she knew she was close. She eased another finger inside, moaning against Yasmin’s skin when the princess gripped her hair and moved her head a little, holding her still as she brought her knees up around the genie’s head and cried out, inner muscles clenching and fluttering around the genie’s fingers, hips bucking forward into her mouth and hands tightly gripping her hair. 

The genie continued to suck and thrust her through her climax until she felt her head being very gently pushed away, and when she looked up Yasmin was smiling at her, cheeks flushed, chest heaving. Yasmin held her hand against the genie’s cheek and she pressed into it, closing her eyes at the tender sensation.

‘Come here,’ Yasmin whispered. ‘And show me how I can do that to you.’

The genie didn't need asking twice. Her core was throbbing and she could feel evidence of her own arousal at the top of her thighs. She moved up the bed, lying next to the princess who pressed against her side and carefully put a hand on the genie’s breast, thumb rubbing across her nipple and lips pressed against her neck. 

‘I’m not sure what to do,’ Yasmin admitted quietly, her hand trailing down the genie’s stomach and stopping on her hip. ‘How do I make you feel good?’

‘Let me show you,’ the genie whispered quietly. 

She took Yasmin’s hand and slid it down between her legs, biting her tongue at the sensation of another woman’s fingers brushing against her. 

Yasmin gasped and when the genie let go of her hand the princess slid her fingers through her, feeling the wetness and the heat of her against her skin. The genie gripped the sheets and pressed her face against Yasmin’s neck, moaning quietly as Yasmin brought her fingers up and pressed lightly against her clit.

‘You’re so…’

The princess trailed off but the genie could guess as to what she’d been about to say. 

‘That’s all you,’ she whispered quietly. ‘That’s how you make me feel.’

The princess rubbed lightly against her clit again and the genie gasped and grabbed hold of her, hips pressing up, chasing the sensations. She almost wanted to cry with the sheer pleasure of it, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been touched like this, and when Yasmin slowly started to move her fingers in gentle circles against her she moaned and tilted her head back, closing her eyes. She’d never used to have that much interest in sex, aside from her tenth incarnation. As chin and eyebrows she’d never felt the urge to seek that intimate connection with anyone. Even in this regeneration, her first female body, she hadn’t been that fussed, but with Yasmin it was as though she was learning all over again how special those kinds of sensations were.

She felt Yasmin’s hand drift lower, pausing with a finger against her entrance as though unsure what to do.

The genie pushed her body down against her, stifling a moan when she felt Yasmin’s fingertip slip inside her. She heard Yasmin murmer quietly against her skin, though couldn’t make out what she said, and Yasmin carefully began to thrust gently with her finger while her thumb moved in slow circles against the genie’s clit, pressing kisses against the genie’s forehead when she cried out and moaned into Yasmin’s neck. 

‘Is this okay?’ Yasmin whispered quietly, but the genie could only make a muffled pleading sound in response as she moved her hips in time with Yasmin’s thrusts; which Yasmin took to be a  _ yes don’t stop please. _

‘You feel amazing,’ Yasmin whispered in wonder, sliding another finger inside her and feeling the tight, hot, wetness of her around her two digits. With her thumb moving rhythmically against her clit she could hear the genie’s breaths begin to speed up and it occurred to her that it was just like the way she touched herself, only backwards.

‘Yaz…’ the genie begged. ‘Please, I’m so close.’

Yasmin pressed their lips together, slipping her tongue inside the genie’s mouth and tasting herself against her lips as she sped up the movement of her hand until the genie cried out into her mouth and clenched hard around her, whimpering when Yasmin pulled her hand away and collapsing against her in a boneless heap. 

Yasmin pulled her against her side and covered them both in the sheets, resting her head on top of the genie’s as she listened to her breathing slowly start to slow down. Half asleep and utterly blissed out, the genie’s skin was a slightly softer shade of blue and Yasmin ran her hand soothingly down her arm, feeling the other woman go lax in her arms until finally her shut eyes and quiet breaths told Yasmin she’d fallen asleep.

Yasmin wriggled a little further down the bed, taking care not to wake the genie, and pressed her ear against her bare chest. She thought she’d imagined it the other night, but the genie truly did have two hearts thumping gently inside her ribcage. It was a relaxing rhythm, one intended to soothe, and Yasmin was asleep herself in seconds.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this! It took me a while to get out the writers block!   
> This chapter gets a bit heavy towards the end, you've been warned, and I've added the 'graphic descriptions of violence' warning for torture and a bit of whump, but no more than in my other fics.  
> Also, I thiiiiiiink this is the penultimate chapter.   
> Also, I'm so sorry for typos it's midnight and I can't be bothered to proof read again. I'll probably read it in the morning, spot loads of mistakes, and get annoyed at myself. For now though, I'm going to bed.

Graham stood by the window and waited, watching the ripples spread out from the water below, but the princess did not resurface and there was no sign of magical activity. 

‘Hmm,’ he said thoughtfully, face furrowed.

He was sure the princess had had the lamp, he’d seen her flying across the city on a magic carpet only the night before, but there was no sign of the genie or the carpet now and the water was still and peaceful once more. Perhaps she had used all of her wishes? But the lamp must still be in the palace somewhere, he only had to find it. 

He looked up at the sky, the afternoon sun shining down and reflecting in the water below. The city sprawled out in front of him a little beyond that, winding passages and turrets and haphazardly placed buildings and markets. He scowled. He hadn’t wanted to come here, hadn’t wanted his grandson to marry the princess, but he’d heard that this kingdom was the last known location of the genie’s lamp and the Sultan’s invitation had arrived at just the right moment.

Ryan was a good lad, he was proud of him, but he deserved more than the pitiful excuse for a country they’d come from, he deserved an empire. Graham wanted to give it to him. Marrying the princess would, admittedly, have been a good way to expand their territory but Graham wanted to give him everything. The whole continent, the whole  _ world.  _ With the lamp he could do that, but it remained stubbornly out of his reach and now he’d have to come to terms with murdering Princess Yasmin. He’d thought he was calling her bluff, but clearly that had not been the case.

Graham looked down at the water again but it remained clear and calm. The princess was dead by his hands. 

He dropped his head, pausing a moment to reflect on his actions. He felt a little guilty, though not enough to admit it was him, but he’d been so  _ sure  _ she’d had the lamp and the genie would rescue her? Her death was now a mistake and he would have to search for the lamp the old fashioned way with his eyes. 

There was a knock on the door and one of his guards came in. He’d been watching the passage and the staircase outside in case the Sultan returned, and his urgent gesture indicated he was on his way up.

Graham left the room, leaving the broken glass hanging in the ruined window frame, and quickly followed the guard down the long, winding corridors to avoid the Sultan. It wouldn’t do for him to be found in the vicinity, and likely it won’t take long before the palace staff realised the princess was missing. 

A few moments later, he heard shouting back the way he’d come and he crouched in a dark corner, out of sight as the thundering of footsteps sounded further down the passage and a group of guards came running past. He made his escape whilst they were all distracted by the broken window and followed his own guard down the stairs and back into the main palace. The lamp must be here somewhere, he just had to find it.

* * *

The market was busy but the presence of the royal guards meant that Sonya and Ryan moved easily through the crowds, pausing to say hello to the people or to bless the younger children. Sonya was clearly known and loved by everyone and Ryan smiled as he watched her plait a younger girl’s hair in an intricate braid, chattering away to her about her travels in other countries.

‘Does Yasmin ever get a chance to leave the palace?’ Ryan asked, and Sonya shrugged. 

‘Not often. Sometimes, when our parents hold speeches or celebrate the start of the harvest in the town square. She's mostly kept locked up out of the way.’

‘That’s no way to live,’ Ryan said sadly. 

‘No, she hates it,’ Sonya agreed. ‘I do feel for her. Being the youngest I have more freedom to travel. Yasmin has to stay in the palace at least until she’s married. Which she also doesn’t want.’

‘What does she want?’ Ryan asked. ‘Has anyone actually asked her?’

‘She wants to be sultan,’ Sonya said sadly. ‘She wants to rule. She thinks it’s unfair she’s expected to marry a man purely to pass on her claim to the throne. No offence.’

‘None taken, I think she’s right,’ Ryan said with feeling. ‘Truth be told, while I was looking forward to meeting the princess, the real reason we visited was because my grandfather was desperate to come here. I’m not sure why, perhaps he read about your home in a travel brochure? Either way, I’m getting the feeling he’s been looking for something ever since we arrived.’ 

‘Looking for something?’ Sonya said with a frown. They passed by a market stand with a display of brightly coloured scarfs and Sonya held one up, thinking about how pretty it would look around her sister’s neck. 

‘Yeah, I’m not sure what,’ Ryan said with a shrug. ‘I’m worried we’ll outstay our welcome while he searches for whatever it is.’ 

‘I’m sure that’s not true,’ Sonya said, handing over some coins for the scarf which she folded neatly and tucked into a canvas bag around her waist. ‘My family loves you.’

‘The princess does not, however,’ Ryan pointed out. ‘And, lovely though she is, likewise I do not have any feelings for her.’

‘She told me as much,’ Sonya admitted. ‘I don’t think she’s one for marriage, if we’re being honest. Yasmin has always been very headstrong, she doesn’t like the idea of being forced into a relationship. The arguments her and baba get into. He is insistent Yasmin marry yet a husband could not be further from her mind.’

Ryan thought of Geena and of the tender way Yasmin had had her arm around the blonde’s waist as she’d led her outside into the garden that morning. He wondered if Sonya knew just how spot on with that observation she really was. 

‘Same with me,’ Ryan said, quick backtracking when Sonya raised an amused eyebrow. ‘You know, not the husband bit the marriage bit. I’m still too young, aren’t I? I was hoping to travel, to see a bit of the world, but my mum died when I was young and my dad ran off so I’ve been left with a kingdom to run.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Sonya said, smiling sympathetically. ‘That sounds difficult.’

‘Yeah, it’s not been great,’ Ryan admitted. ‘Graham’s alright though. He’s looked after me.’ He smiled at a young girl looking up at him, transferring a flower he’d picked in the garden that morning from the pocket of his waistcoat to behind the girl’s ear. 

Sonya watched tenderhearted. It was a shame her sister wasn’t interested in him, he was definitely the best option they’d had so far. Still, that left him all to herself and she was  _ very  _ interested in this handsome young prince, though she did wonder what it was his grandfather was looking for. What did they have in this kingdom that he could be so interested in? 

Her eyes caught the blue fabric of a dress worn by a young girl and she felt a cold chill sweep over her. No. It wasn’t possible, was it?

‘Is it an object or a person your grandfather is searching for?’ Sonya asked, but Ryan only shrugged. 

‘No idea, he hasn’t said. Why?’

Sonya thought of the genie, folded into Yasmin’s arms on the floor of a supply cupboard only that morning. She remembered the lamp laying beside her, the panic in the genie’s eyes. Even Sonya hadn’t known there was a genie in the palace and she hadn’t had the opportunity to ask Yasmin how or where she’d found her. A genie was a myth, a fairy tale, a mythical being that couldn’t  _ possibly  _ exist.

Except apparently that wasn’t true.

And now Sonya was worried Graham had known that all along and - somehow - had known the lamp and its occupant were hidden in the castle. 

‘Ryan,’ Sonya said quietly. ‘There’s something you ought to know about Geena.’

But before she could continue a loud cacophony of bells rang out across the city, the noise deafening and violent in the otherwise peaceful streets. 

The guard were around her in an instant, pushing Sonya and the prince back towards the palace. 

‘What is that?’ Sonya asked, wincing as the harsh  _ clang  _ of the bells echoed in her ears. She’d never heard such a noise before, the only time the bells were rang was during a celebration in the palace, but there were never this discordant or painful to listen to.

‘Warning bell,’ one of the guards said as she was moved swiftly through the streets. ‘Something’s wrong.’ 

More guards were coming from the palace, heading towards Sonya and Ryan, and Sonya managed to push past her escorts to stand in front of them. 

‘What’s happening?’ she yelled over the sound of the bells and the shouts from the panicked people in the streets. ‘What’s that sound for?’

‘Princess Yasmin is missing,’ the guard said. ‘We need to get you to safety, now.’

* * *

Too late, the genie realised she’d never told Ananya she’d found her mistress.

‘Ohshit,’ she blurted out, sitting bolt upright as the bells started to ring out urgently. 

‘Genie?’ Yasmin mumbled from beside her, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. ‘What is that?’

‘The bells, the guards probably think you’re missing,’ the genie explained hurriedly, climbing out of the bed and standing, naked in the dim light of the late afternoon sun. 

Yasmin was more than happy to lie there and watch her, admiring the slender form of her legs, the soft muscles of her stomach, the gentle curves of her breasts, but then her words sunk in and she stumbled out of bed, reaching for her discarded clothes. 

‘Sorry,’ the genie scronched apologetically. ‘Ananya noticed you weren’t with your father this morning, she came to find me but I got pulled after you pretty much immediately.’ She froze, wincing. ‘She probably saw that and has a lot of questions,’ she said awkwardly. 

‘Never mind that,’ Yasmin said, turning so the genie could zip up her dress. ‘We’d better get to the hall before Graham finds my parents. We should have done this earlier!’

‘I don’t regret it, though,’ the genie said quietly, her voice soft, and Yasmin smiled and reached up to press a light kiss against her cheek.

‘No,’ she said gently. ‘Neither do I.’ 

They ran towards the doors of Yasmin’s bedroom but they opened before Yasmin’s hand was on the handle and Ananya, Sonya, and Ryan came rushing in so quickly the genie barely had time to change her skin tone.

‘Oh! You are in here!’ Ananya said, thoroughly confused. ‘I’ve been trying to open the door but its been locked.’

The genie shuffled her feet guiltily. 

‘We have to get to the hall,’ Yasmin said, gripping her sister’s arm urgently. ‘We have to warn mother and father.’

‘Warn them of what?’ Sonya asked. 

Yasmin turned to Ryan, expression as gentle as she could make it.

‘Your grandfather,’ she said calmly. ‘He tried to kill me.’

Ryan’s jaw dropped and he stared at her, shaking his head in defiance.

‘What? No! No. No he wouldn’t, he  _ wouldn’t.’ _

But there was uncertainly in his eyes and it wasn’t missed by anyone in the room. Sonya reached out to pull Yasmin into a hug and Ananya pressed a hand against her mouth in horror. 

‘I saw the broken windowpane in your father’s study,’ she said. ‘Was that - did he -?’

Ryan looked like he was about to faint and Sonya had fury on her face. 

‘Graham isn’t a murderer,’ he said. ‘He isn’t.’

‘He  _ pushed her out of a window,’  _ Sonya reminded him, limbs shaking.

‘But why?’ Ryan protested. ‘Why would he do that?’

‘He was looking for something,’ Yasmin said, and Ryan paled even more. 

‘You said so,’ Sonya said quietly. ‘You said in the market the only reason you came here was because Graham was looking for something.’

‘But surely there’s nothing here he’d want that would warrant murdering the princess?’ Ananya said, her voice breaking. 

‘There is something,’ Yasmin said. ‘Or rather, some _ one.’  _

‘Hi,’ the genie said, waving her hand awkwardly as she allowed her skin to turn back to its normal blue hue. 

Ananya and Ryan stared at her in horror.

‘But how did he know you were here?’ Sonya asked, shaking her head. ‘I don’t understand.’ 

‘No, wait, I’m sorry, are you a  _ genie?’  _ Ryan said, still trying to catch up. 

‘I found her in the basement,’ Yasmin explained. ‘The lamp had been left down there with some of my parent’s old things.’

‘We didn't even know she was down there,’ Sonya said in confusion. ‘How did Graham?’

‘But why would Graham even  _ want  _ a genie?’ Ryan said. 

‘He didn't say,’ Yasmin said. ‘He just told me to hand over the lamp then, when I refused, he pushed me out the window.’

‘How did you survive?’ Ananya gasped. ‘The drop! It must be at least 70 feet!’

‘The genie,’ Yasmin replied, reaching out to take her hand. ‘She rescued me.’

‘Thank you,’ Sonya whispered, stepping forward to hug the genie who looked utterly shocked, but returned the hug affectionately all the same. 

‘We need to get to the hall,’ Yasmin said. ‘We need to warn my parents. Genie, I’m sorry but we have to keep you safe. You need to go back into the lamp.’

‘I know,’ the genie said. ‘Just be careful, please? All of you? Desperate men do desperate things.’

‘My grandfather isn’t like that,’ Ryan said, close to tears. ‘He isn’t. He raised me. He’s a good man.’

‘He pushed my sister out of a window!’ Sonya said again, as Yasmin held out the lamp and the genie disappeared back into it as a wisp of blue smoke. 

The four of them ran out of the room, Yasmin securing the genie lamp under her skirts again and out of sight as they sprinted towards the main hall. The guards looked surprised but stood aside all the same, and when Yasmin burst through the heavy wooden doors of the great hall she found her parents crying and Graham kneeling sympathetically at their feet, though he raised his head and his eyes widened in shock as soon as he saw her.

‘Yasmin!’ her mother cried, standing up and rushing forward to embrace her. ‘Graham was just telling us you’d fallen from a window!’

‘Fallen?’ Sonya protested, hands in fists at her sides. ‘He  _ pushed  _ her out the window!’

‘What?’

The sultan stood immediately and guards rushed forwards to seize Graham, knocking him to his knees as they pinned his arms behind his back. 

‘So you do have the genie lamp after all,’ Graham growled at Yasmin. ‘I  _ knew  _ it.’

‘What?’ Najia said, looking confused. ‘Genie lamp?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Yasmin told him smoothly, though she could feel the weight of the lamp against her leg. 

‘It’s the only way you could have survived the fall,’ Graham said.

‘Yasmin, is this true?’ Hakim asked. ‘Do you have a genie?’ But Yasmin didn't answer, which she supposed was answer enough. 

‘Why?’ Ryan asked, kneeling in front of his grandfather. ‘Why did you try and kill the princess?’

‘She was never in any danger, son,’ Graham replied urgently. ‘Don’t you see? I knew she had the genie, I knew she wouldn’t be harmed.’

‘But why do you want a genie so badly?’ Ryan asked. ‘What use do you have for one?’

‘I want to give you everything,’ Graham said. ‘The whole world. You’re too good for one tiny little insignificant country, you deserve an empire.’

‘I don’t  _ want  _ an empire,’ Ryan told him. ‘Certainly not at the expense of the princess’ life.’

‘She wasn’t in any danger!’

‘She was! Of course she was! How did you know she had the genie on her? How did you know the genie could even save her? You took a gamble, or maybe you just wanted her out the way anyway, but you couldn’t have known she’d be safe.’

‘So there  _ is  _ a genie,’ Graham said, his eyes dark. 

‘ _ That’s  _ what you’re taking away from this?’ Ryan yelled, flinging his hands in the air. ‘It’s like I don’t even  _ know  _ you anymore.’

‘NO!’ Sonya yelled suddenly when the guards moved forward, positioning herself in front of Ryan. ‘He had nothing to do with this.’

‘We can’t know that,’ Hakim said urgently.

‘He didn't know,’ Graham protested. ‘I told him nothing.’

‘For the entirety of my life, by the sound of it,’ Ryan spat at him. 

‘Enough of this,’ Graham growled. ‘Guards! Grab her!’

Three of his men rushed forward and seized Yasmin by the arms. She yelled and tried to kick herself away from their grasp, twisting and turning as she struggled to get herself free. Two more of Graham’s guards ran to fight off the two palace guards holding him down, and once Graham was free he lunged for the princess.

Yasmin, desperate to get away, kicked out at him, striking him in the leg, but as she did so the genie lamp came free and fell with a metallic clatter onto the stone floor. 

Everything went quiet, and then Yasmin dove for it at the same time Graham did. He knocked her out of the way with a firm shove to the shoulder that sent her flying backwards into Sonya, the two of them crashing to the floor as Graham bent to pick up the lamp; a sneer stretching across his face.

‘Liar,’ he said to Yasmin. ‘If only you knew the power you had at your disposal, the magic at your fingertips. I doubt you would have wished for magic carpet rides if you knew what the genie could truly offer you.’

‘No!’ Yasmin yelled as she ran forwards, but she was immediately held back by one of Graham’s men and was unable to get herself free. 

Graham’s men had surrounded them all now and had completely overpowered the palace guards. Sonya and Ananya were trapped in a corner, and Hakim and Najia were being held back by the thrones. Even Ryan had his arms twisted behind his back by one of Graham’s men and he could only watch in horror as Graham rubbed the lamp and blue smoke shot out of the end of it as the genie appeared, eyes wide in desperation as she took everything in.    
‘If you don’t want an empire,’ Graham growled. ‘I’ll take it for myself.’

‘Genie,’ Yasmin whispered, but the genie only shook her head sadly; powerless to do anything.

Hakim and Najia were staring at her and the genie seemed to shrink on herself, unable to escape the lamp but trying desperately hard anyway. 

‘For my first wish,’ Graham said, looking at Yasmin with an evil glint in his dark eyes. ‘I want your family gone. I want them banished. I want them  _ out of my way.  _ Genie, I want you to kill the lot of them.’

_ ‘No,’  _ Sonya gasped. 

The genie looked horrified, terror painting itself on her face, and Yasmin realised with a sinking heart that ‘not killing anyone’ hadn’t been on the list of rules she’d been given when she’d first released her. But the genie was so kind heartened, so good. Surely she wouldn’t?

Then Yasmin remembered the genie’s face when she’d struggled to speak of the way her past masters had treated her, and she knew she didn't have a choice. 

‘Grandad, no!’ Ryan protested, struggling to get free. ‘No, you can’t do this!’

‘I can, and I will,’ Graham growled at him. ‘I wanted you to have the world at your fingertips but if you’re too weak then I’m more than happy to have it on your behalf. Genie, do it.’

‘No.’

Yasmin looked at her, at her resolute and determined expression. Her arms were folded across her chest, her body shaking with the effort of refusing the wish, and Yasmin could see the lamp start to judder and shake on the floor. 

‘You cannot refuse me,’ Graham growled at her. ‘I’ve made my first wish, you must grant it.’

_ ‘No.’ _

Pain flashed across the genie’s face and she dropped to her knees, gasping as the lamp shook and vibrated across the floor. Yasmin tried to run to her but she couldn’t, her arms gripped tightly by Graham’s men. The genie cried out, the golden cuffs around her wrists glowing red hot. Yasmin knew they must be burning her, yet she ground her teeth and looked up at Graham with dark eyes, face set in resolution.

‘You will destroy yourself by refusing my wish,’ Graham said, kneeling down in front of her. ‘You cannot refuse a wish from your master.’

‘Watch me.’

The room was starting to shake as the lamp shuddered and jolted and smashed angrily against the stone floor. The genie cried out again, collapsing onto her side as she shuddered in pain and let out a quiet sob. Yasmin struggled again but it was no use, the man’s grip was too tight. She could only watch, helpless, knowing she was about to watch the woman she loved die to save her.

‘Genie, it’s okay,’ Yasmin said to her softly, as gently as she could though tears were pouring down her face and her heart was breaking. ‘Please. Please don’t do this to yourself.’ 

A tapestry fell from the wall and objects perched on shelves or on display began to smash to the ground. First the bowl of fruit by the thrones, then a jug above a high fireplace, then a priceless golden dish that dented as soon as it hit the stones. 

‘Genie,’ Yasmin called out to her, voice barely a whisper. ‘I can’t watch you do this.’

‘And I can’t watch you die,’ the genie cried back, voice breaking in pain, cuffs burning her wrists, black lines pulsing under her skin as she continued to refuse the lamp. She sobbed as her body was wracked with agony, yet still she refused, still she held her ground, still she wouldn’t give Graham what he wanted.

‘Grandad stop!’ Ryan yelled. ‘You’re hurting her!’

‘She’s hurting herself,’ Graham called back to his grandson though, for the first time, Yasmin realised he looked a little unsure of himself. Perhaps he was starting to realise he couldn’t win after all. Perhaps he was starting to figure out that the genie was prepared to die before she laid a finger on Yasmin.

Graham leaned towards the genie, who was curled in a ball with her knees up to her chest as she sobbed with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands digging into her legs so tightly he was sure it would bruise. 

‘I don’t like watching this anymore than you like experiencing it,’ he told her sternly. ‘Now come on. Either you give in and grant me this wish or I’ll just tell all the guards to execute them here and now and you can stand there and watch.’

‘You think I’d prefer that?’ the genie choked, her voice cracked and ancient sounding. ‘You think I’d prefer to  _ watch  _ rather than have them die by my hand? That’s not an ultimatum! That’s not an either or!’

‘You’re dying,’ Graham told her, matter of factly as he waved the lamp in her face with an exasperation expression. ‘You’re tearing yourself apart to refuse me when it will only happen anyway. Their deaths are inevitable, why do you need to suffer as well?’

‘Because then it won’t be me that did it,’ the genie told him, a sickening grimace on her face as the black lines climbed up her cheeks and her body jolted with agony.. ‘I’ve lived for longer than you could possibly imagine. I’ve fought in wars. I’ve killed people and each time I told myself  _ never again.  _ Then I was trapped in the lamp in a universe that isn’t even mine and the choice was taken away from me. I did it because I had to, because I had no other options but I do. I see that now. I can choose to die, to rid the universe of my magic and leave it to its own devices the way it should have been in the first place. You won’t have any more wishes and maybe they’ll get free or maybe they won’t. But you won’t have power and I won’t be here to let anymore men like you tamper with forces they can’t control.’

Graham smacked her across the face with the lamp and Yasmin screamed for her as the room shuddered again. Dust was beginning to rain down from the ceiling, bricks coming loose as they juddered out of the walls. A genie refusing her master was clearly something that never happened, but the genie herself was lying on the stone slabs with her face pressed against them as her body occasionally twitched in pain, skin almost completely obscured by the black lines that had climbed like vines from the cuffs around her wrists. The lamp was cracking, light spiralling from it, and Yasmin sobbed as she slumped in the guard’s grip. Beside her, she saw her sister and Ananya equally stricken and Yasmin felt her fight leave her all at once. What was the point in fighting if she couldn’t be with the genie, if they couldn’t be together? Even if she did get free - what was left for her? A kingdom she’d have to hand over to a husband, a sister who wouldn’t want to stay, a prince who’d likely be jailed for his grandfather’s crimes. 

‘Genie,’ Yasmin said softly and - miraculously over the sound of the room splitting as the brickwork continued to fall apart and more and more objects fell to the ground - the genie opened her eyes and looked straight at her. Her body shook with agony, her face was almost completely obscured by the lines that pulsed under her skin, but she managed a small smile which Yasmin returned; feeling her heart shatter into a thousand pieces in her chest. 

‘We’ll always be together,’ Yasmin whispered to her, and the genie nodded her head; in too much pain to speak. More light was spiralling out of the lamp as it continued to strain under the genie’s will but - just before it shattered completely - the wall gave way. 

Bricks and shelves and heavy, ornamental displays all came down at once, crashing with an almighty  _ smash  _ against the stone floor. The guards holding Yasmin and her family lept back and Yasmin found she was free, though it hardly mattered. The genie was hidden under rocks and brick but, she realised as the brick dust cleared, the room had stopped shaking and the lamp lay by her feet; undamaged, unscathed. 

Unlike Graham, who’d been struck by a falling pillar and was dead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I dropped a wall on Graham.  
> He is the bad guy! And it's SO HARD to write him as a bad guy when he's such a grandad but I needed a villain so soz grandad Graham.  
> Picture Bradley's evil character from Sarah Jane Adventures if that helps!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! I've fiddled around with this so much and keep tweaking it so hopefully it's okay!
> 
> I will be posting another chapter with an alternative ending which is more in canon, cause I couldn't resist.

Yasmin ran towards the rubble, panic in her throat as she fell to her knees and started throwing lumps of brick, pillar, and wall out of the way. She could see the genie’s hand, sticking up through the mess but it was an effort to get to her; she was buried under so much brick Yasmin was sure she couldn’t still be alive, surely she must have been struck by the rock or crushed under what remained of the wall.

Sonya dropped down beside her and helped her to dig out the genie, cradling her head carefully once they’d reached her as Yasmin shoved bricks and stone off of her chest and pulled her up into her arms. The genie’s head lolled against her arm, mouth slack, black lines receding but blue skin filthy and streaked with blood. 

Her blood was red, Yasmin noticed. Red like her own. There was no sign of life in her and she felt too numb to try and shake her awake or call her name. The first person she’d ever loved and she’d died to save Yasmin. How could she ever love anyone ever again? Sonya was leaning over them, hands at the genie’s wrist, nose and mouth. Yasmin knew her sister was speaking to the genie, trying to rouse her, yet she couldn’t find the energy to join her, even cradling the genie against her chest was an effort. Her limbs were heavy, her head pounding, and the genie was limp and warm in her arms. 

She heard her parents spring into action, barking orders behind her but she hardly noticed. Graham’s men had fled and she could hear the thundering of feet as the palace guards chased after them. Ryan was kneeling beside his grandfather, pushing the pillar off of him, but Yasmin only had eyes for the genie. She couldn’t get the image of her screams out of her head, the agony in her eyes, the unnatural twist of her limbs as she’d fought against the wish. She remembered what the genie had told her, only a day before yet it now seemed like a lifetime ago:

_ It was like I was on fire, like I was burning from the inside out. I could feel myself ripping apart from the inside and it was so much worse than regenerating. _

All that pain, and she’d still refused to grant the wish. 

‘She’s still alive,’ Sonya decided, her fingers pressed against the genie’s wrist with a frown on her face. ‘Though her pulse sounds a little strange, almost as though there’s a double beat. Though I suppose she isn’t human like you or I.’

_ Human enough,  _ Yasmin decided, wiping a trail of blood away from the genie’s cheek with a smile. The genie’s face creased a little, eyelids fluttering, but before Yasmin could attempt to wake her up she heard a groan from beside her, deep and pained, and when she turned her head she found Ryan kneeling by Graham; the older man looking up at him with eyes that were wide open. 

‘Why?’ Ryan was asking him, tears in his eyes. ‘Why did you do it?’

‘I promised your mother I’d look after you, son,’ Graham told him, voice croaky and sore. ‘I was only trying to do right by her.’

‘By killing?’ Ryan said. ‘How would my mother have wanted that?’

‘You deserve more, Ryan. You deserve the world.’

‘Not at the cost of another person’s life. Never at that.’ 

The genie made an unhappy sound in Yasmin’s arms, and when Yasmin looked down at her she saw her eyes were half open, face screwed up into that adorable scronch expression that Yasmin had come to love so much, eyes bleary but searching out Yasmin’s face. 

‘There she is,’ Sonya said softly, a hand on the genie’s forehead brushing tangled blonde locks away from her face. ‘Take it slow, you’re alright.’

‘Yaz,’ the genie breathed, looking up at her with soft eyes. ‘You’re okay.’

‘All thanks to you,’ Yasmin replied, finding emotion choking her voice. ‘Don’t you dare ever do that again.’

‘It was my honour, princess,’ the genie replied, eyes fluttering as she struggled to grip onto consciousness. 

Yasmin bent her head to press her lips against the genie’s and heard her parents gasp in shock behind her. The genie pushed her face upwards, returning the kiss gently, and Yasmin felt the genie’s hand curl tightly around her arm. 

Ananya let out a quiet cheer. 

A gurgled cough caught their attention and all eyes went to Graham. Ryan had pushed the pillar off of him but it was clear his chest had been crushed. They could hear the blood and fluid piling onto his lungs as he coughed and sputtered and the genie twitched her fingers, reaching out to him. 

‘He’s dying,’ she said quietly. ‘He won’t last long. I’m sorry, Ryan.’

‘He’d have been executed anyway,’ Ryan said, hanging his head low. His fingers were tightly gripping Graham’s and Yasmin helped the genie to get into a better sitting position, hair falling in her face as she struggled to sit up by herself. 

The genie reached out a hand and the lamp shot into it, glowing faintly once in her palm. 

‘You have a wish left, princess,’ the genie reminded her, pressing the lamp into Yasmin’s hands. ‘You could wish me to save him. Time is in flux, it isn’t too late.’

‘Why would she do that?’ Sonya asked. ‘He tried to kill us all.’

‘When I was tied to him by the lamp, I could see inside his head,’ the genie said quietly. ‘Your parents’ death broke him, Ryan. It turned his mind to madness. His actions are the result of his grief, they twisted him into a dangerous man but - at his heart - there could be goodness in him still.’

Graham was very still, eyes shut, chest barely moving, and Ryan looked at Yasmin; a silent conversation passing between them. 

Outside, night had fallen and, with the gap where the wall was missing, the stars were sparkling above their heads. Yasmin caught the genie looking up at them with a sad smile on her face. If Yasmin used her last wish to save Graham, this would likely be the last time she would see them for a long while. 

Yasmin looked at Ryan, who only nodded at her firmly. She could read his mind through his eyes and when she turned back to the genie she found only sadness in hers. The genie held her face turned up to the stars, face full of longing, then looked back at Yasmin. She stood on shaky legs, dust falling from her clothes onto what was left of the stone floor. Yasmin stood with her, a hand on her elbow helping her upright whilst Sonya supported her on the other side, and Ryan dropped his gaze to the floor and his grandfather’s dying body. 

‘It’s alright,’ the genie urged her. ‘Time is in flux. We can do this. Wish away.’

Yasmin lifted up the lamp, felt it hum under her fingertips. She caught her reflection in its polished surface. She’d never seen anyone look so miserable. She looked back at Ryan again, then at the genie who was still waiting patiently for her. She wanted to save Graham, but she’d made the genie a promise. Which was more important? A life saved, or a life  _ freed?  _ Was there even a difference?

‘Yasmin?’ the genie prompted her. ‘If we’re gonna do this, we need to do it quick. Graham doesn’t have much time.’

Yasmin held out the lamp in front of her and began to gently rub its surface. 

‘I wish -’ she whispered, and the genie smiled encouragingly at her. ‘I wish -’

Yasmin’s eyes looked back at Ryan again, then up at the stars. They shone so beautifully. This would likely be the last time the genie ever saw them. After this final wish she’d be dragged back into the lamp until someone else set her free. But who knows when that would be?

She took a deep breath and looked the genie in the eye. 

‘I wish for you to be set free.’

The genie’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. 

‘Yasmin -’

‘I promised you,’ Yasmin said, smiling through tears as the golden cuffs on the genie’s wrists suddenly snapped open and fell to the floor with a clang. ‘I promised you I’d set you free.’

‘But - Graham -’

‘Is already gone,’ Yasmin said, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan look down towards the ground. ‘I made you a promise, I swore to you I’d set you free, that we’d always be together. You’ve waited long enough.’ 

‘Princess…’

The genie’s skin was changing from blue back to pale. Her hair was a little more golden, her eyes a softer green. Golden light was spiralling around her, blinding and beautiful, and Yasmin reached out a hand to her with a smile. 

‘You are no-one’s slave anymore,’ she whispered, but just before the genie could take her hand her eyes suddenly widened in horror and shot down towards the lamp in Yasmin’s hand. 

‘The lamp,’ the genie realised. ‘It was the only thing tying me to this world.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Yasmin frowned, but the golden light was beginning to spin faster and faster and a whirlpool of the most magnificent colours - purple, blue, red, gold - had opened behind the genie; dazzling and hypnotic as it whirled and spun.

‘I’ll find you!’ the genie blurted out. ‘I swear! I’ll find y- !’

Then she was dragged back into the whirlpool, it disappeared, and the lamp dropped from Yasmin’s hand onto the cold tiled floor. 

All was silent. 

‘Genie?’ Yasmin whispered, but the genie has gone and as Ryan walked away Yasmin remembered what she’d said when they’d first met, what seemed like a lifetime ago. 

_ This isn’t my world, this isn’t even my universe. _

The genie had been set free, but all magic comes with a price and this was the price Yasmin had to pay. 

She would never see her again. 

Not even the beauty of the stars could soothe her soul as Yasmin collapsed to the floor and began to sob.

* * *

**Epilogue**

It was a beautiful night, the stars shining above the palace and a magnificent light display from the city below sending fireworks of all colours up into the air. It was Sonya’s birthday, and her parents had spared no expense on the celebrations. Goodness knows they all deserved it after the events of the last few weeks. After Graham’s death, Ryan had had to take on more duties and Yasmin was surprised to find she missed him. He wrote to them every now and then, but with his new duties he was constantly busy and his letters were sporadic at best. Sonya had stuck around for her sister’s sake, but Yasmin knew she was anxious to be off traveling again. She’d been invited to stay with Ryan, for one thing, and Yasmin knew Sonya missed him deeply. As for herself, her parents had summoned more suitors to the palace but she’d refused to meet a single one. She knew who she loved, nobody else compared. She also knew her parents were desperate for her to marry, now understandably worried more than ever that a prince wasn’t what she was interested in, but Yasmin didn't care. Now she’d experienced real love she wouldn’t settle for anything less. She didn't want a husband, she wanted the genie. 

Yasmin leant over the edge of the parapet, head in her hands, hair cascading over her face as she watched the spectacle. Despite the beauty of the evening, her heart was heavy. Her sister and parents were still in the great hall but Yasmin had excused herself, saying she was tired and needed an early night. It had been weeks, perhaps even months, since the genie had left. Yasmin had kept track of the days to start with but she’d given up once she’d finally accepted she wasn’t coming back. She knew her parents were secretly glad of this. A same-sex relationship was hardly commonplace, and even as the princess she didn't think she’d be supported by her family. With the exception of Sonya, who’d been by her side wiping her tears for weeks now. Her parents wanted her to move on, figuring that marrying a man and having children would be a good enough distraction for her, and Yasmin hated them for it. 

‘This isn’t what we agreed,’ she murmured to the stars, looking up with sad eyes. ‘We were supposed to be together. Why did you leave?’

The fireworks were beginning to die down, the crowd below going silent as they went home, and Yasmin turned away from the parapet and walked back into her room, feet heavy, heart low. She headed towards her dressing table, fingers in her hair beginning to unravel the thick braid and unclip the decorative gems and jewels. When she slept, she dreamt of the genie; of the life they could have had together. It didn't help. 

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound cut through the still night air, something ancient and grinding. It grated on Yasmin’s ears and she turned, the material of her dress swishing as she stepped hesitantly towards the sound. There was a deep noise, almost like a thud, then the creaking sound of old wood and the soft tread of a boot on the stone.

‘Ananya? Is that you?’ she called, hesitantly stepping forward cautiously. 

‘Yaz? Are you here?’

Yasmin’s heart flew into her mouth and she half-ran half-stumbled towards the sound, flinging aside the tapestries and curtains hanging in her way to reveal - 

The genie.

Yasmin stopped, hand at her mouth, heart pounding in her chest as the genie smiled widely at her. She was dressed in a very strange outfit, the likes of which Yasmin had never before seen a woman wear. Blue trousers, a tight fitting top, a long grey coat. She was also stood in front of a magnificent blue box, a light on the top illuminating the darkness, bathed in the light of a soft orange glow that must be coming from inside the box. She was beautiful, radiant, and Yasmin could hardly believe she was really here. Too late, she realised she was staring at the genie, open mouthed, and the other woman was beginning to look a little worried. 

‘Hiya, Yaz,’ the genie said, bouncing on the balls of her feet anxiously. ‘I’m not entirely sure how long it’s been…’

‘But you’re - I - I don’t understand,’ Yasmin said, a thousand emotions swirling through her mind. ‘Where have you been? You were going to come back. Why didn't you come back?’

‘I did! Eventually,’ the genie said, running forward and taking hold of Yasmin’s hands, squeezing gently. ‘I told you. When I was cursed it was because I - well - I mucked around with science I didn't understand and got dragged into that lamp. But I did that in  _ my  _ world. When you freed me, I was pulled  _ back _ into my world and away from you.’

She stepped closer and cupped Yasmin’s face in her hand, thumb running gently across her cheek as she smiled softly at her. 

‘It took me so long to find a way to get back here,’ she said, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. ‘And I’m so sorry I kept you waiting.’

‘Do you even - I mean,’ Yasmin looked down at her slippers, then back up at the genie’s face. The genie looked different now the curse had been lifted, but her eyes were still the same. They glinted in the light coming from the box and Yasmin stepped closer into her space, reaching up to grip her shoulder tightly. 

‘Do you even still want me?’ she finished quietly, then the genie’s lips were on hers and her arm was around Yasmin’s waist and Yasmin kissed her back with all the strength she had; the loss and misery she’d felt these past few weeks pouring out of her as she tried to pull the genie as close as she could, tried to feel as much of her as possible. 

‘Does that answer your question?’ the genie asked when they finally broke apart, lips swollen and hair ruffled. 

Yasmin smiled at her, hands still pulling her close, mouth still inches from the genie’s. 

‘I’ve missed you, genie,’ she whispered, her heart so full of love she wasn’t sure how to contain it. ‘I’ve missed you  _ so much.’  _

‘Ah, that’s another thing,’ the genie grinned. ‘My name, it’s not  _ genie,  _ it’s the Doctor.’

‘Your name is “the Doctor”?’ Yasmin asked, confused. 

‘Yup,’ the Doctor replied with a shrug. ‘I’m not saying it’s better than  _ genie,  _ but it’s the one I answer to.’

‘It’s yours, so it’s beautiful,’ Yasmin said, kissing her again.

‘So,’ the Doctor replied, stepping back and gesturing at her blue box. ‘Princess Yasmin, it’s a little late and a long while coming but I have one very important question for you.’

‘I’m ready to hear it,’ Yasmin replied, turning to take one last look at the palace she’d called home, the land she’d grown up in, her people sleeping under the palace’s shadow. 

The Doctor grinned. 

‘Fancy a trip?’

Yasmin took her hand, and didn't look back. 


	8. Alternate ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the alternate ending :) I couldn't resist. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with this story and left me such lovely, kind messages! This was my first AU and your support meant the world <3 <3

She felt warm and heavy, as though her limbs were wrapped up tightly and there was a weighted blanket over her. Distantly, she heard beeping coming from above her and the quiet, soft murmurs of voices. 

Her nose wrinkled, forehead scronched. Where was she?

‘Hold on, I think I saw movement.’

That sounded like Ryan’s grand vizier, but he was dead wasn’t he? She’d been there when the pillar had struck him. 

‘Doctor? Can you hear me?’

Yasmin?

There was fog in her head, heavy and difficult to see through. She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep but she could feel pressure in her hand, as though someone was holding it, and the beeping sound was getting a little louder. There was also something  _ really annoying  _ over her mouth. It was making a hissing noise and was digging into her cheeks, she wanted nothing more than to bat it away.

‘It’s alright, Doctor. You’re okay.’

She opened her eyes. 

At first, she couldn’t see anything. The lights above were blinding and she screwed her eyes tightly shut again, twisting her head away from the glare. Soft fingers brushed her hair from her face and when she tried opening her eyes again she saw Ryan looking at her, face creased in concern.

‘Hey, mate,’ he said quietly. ‘You really frightened us for a minute there.’

She blinked at him, confusion pressing against her eyelids. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie, a far cry from the robes he’d worn as a prince, and there was a small cut on his temple that had been dressed neatly with a plaster. 

She turned her head to the other side where Yaz and Graham were sitting. Yaz was holding her hand and Graham was looking at her with soft, concerned eyes. Yaz looked like she’d been crying, and when she ran her thumb across the back of the Doctor's hand she felt the soothing sensation deep in her chest. 

She stared at Graham. He’d been dead barely moments before, crushed by a falling pillar, how was he here? She’d watched him die.

‘Do you recognise us?’

Yaz’s voice was gentle yet she could hear the fear in it. She felt as though she should be more confused, but she also felt exhausted and it was all she could do to stay awake. She opened her mouth to try to speak but it was muffled through the thing on her face, and when Yaz carefully leant forward to lift it away the hissing sound vanished and she wriggled her jaw, feeling the sensation coming back into her cheeks.

‘Yaz?’

Her voice was a croak, barely audible, but just the sound of it caused Yaz’s face to break into a wide smile. 

‘Thank god for that.’

Even Graham’s voice was full of relieved exhaustion and he rubbed his face tiredly with his hands. They all looked exhausted, as though they’d been waiting for her to wake up for hours now, but the Doctor couldn’t be more confused. She’d been with the princess on the balcony, then they’d stepped into the TARDIS together, and now…?

‘Where am I?’ she mumbled, shoving past the fog in her mind. She tried to move, tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness hit her and she slumped instead as Yaz put a hand firmly on her shoulder.

‘You’re in hospital,’ Graham told her gently. ‘Try not to move.’

‘Hospital?’

The irritating beeping sound increased as she struggled against Yaz’s hand, panic filling up inside her as she tried to sit upright. The beeping was an angry 1,2,3,4 rhythm and her head was suddenly full of the Master. Were they here? She mustn’t be in hospital, the staff wouldn’t understand her biology. She hadn’t regenerated though, so whatever injury she’d sustained can’t have been life threatening, but she might be missing a limb or may be burned or -

‘Hush,’ Yaz said soothingly, tucking her hair behind her ear. ‘You’re fine. You just inhaled some toxic gas. They treated you for smoke inhalation and internal burns to whatever it is you have in there that passes for lungs.’ 

Yaz tapped the Doctor's chest and, gradually, the beeping subsided and the Doctor realised it was her own heartbeats as they gradually slowed back down. She settled back against the pillows, face pressed against the palm of Yaz’s hand, sleeping pulling at her. She didn't remember toxic gas and her head was full of confusion as to why Graham was still alive and Yasmin and Ryan weren’t dressed as they had been, but as she fell asleep she felt soft fingers brush against her cheek and soon her mind went black as exhaustion - and possibly some pretty strong medication - dragged her back under.

* * *

When she woke up again, the room was dark and her head felt clearer.

She remembered the gas now. She wasn’t a genie at all, and Yaz wasn’t a princess. She’d been on a ship, answering a distress call with Ryan, Graham, and Yaz. The engines had exploded and she’d had to roll up her sleeves and get stuck straight in to repair the damage. She hadn’t minded though, engineering was her bread and butter.

She’d repaired the engines, patched over the damaged flight computer, and had been about to leave when a leaking fuel tank - missed by all of them - had exploded in front of her face and she’d inhaled a mouthful of the gas, pumped directly from the engines. 

Everything had gone a little bit fuzzy and burny after that, though she did remember hearing Ryan screaming for help. 

She opened her eyes. 

It was quiet now, the beeping had stopped, and Yaz was asleep in the chair next to her. There was no sign of Graham or Ryan anywhere, and the Doctor carefully moved up the bed a little; stretching out unused limbs and feeling the slight burn from bandages across her chest. 

The movement woke Yaz up immediately, who suddenly bolted upright in her chair. 

‘Doctor!’

‘Can I have some water?’

Her voice sounded raspy and sore and Yaz jumped up from the chair and half ran to a little table in the corner, pouring her a large glass and pressing it into her hands.

The Doctor drank hurriedly, feeling the cold liquid soothing and helping to alleviate the burning of her throat. When she was finished, Yaz was sitting looking worriedly at her and the Doctor scronched her face.

‘What?’

‘Nothing, it’s just - you really worried us for a second.’

The Doctor dropped back against the pillows, head tilted at Yaz. 

‘You don’t need to worry about me, Yaz. I’ll always be alright.’

‘Doctor, you were out for six days.’

_ ‘SIX?!’ _

The Doctor immediately struggled to get out of bed, worried about the TARDIS, but Yaz pushed her back into it firmly. 

‘Don’t even think about it. The TARDIS is fine, it’s still on the refugee ship which is parked round the corner. You’re lucky you got the engines working before you clocked out, they managed to fly us back to the settlement to get you help. I thought -’ Yaz paused, wiping her eyes quickly with the backs of her hands. ‘I was holding you, on the way here,’ she whispered. ‘You were making the most horrible noises. I could  _ hear  _ you dying.’

‘Yaz…’

The Doctor's face fell and she reached out a hand. She expected Yaz to take it but instead Yaz clambered into the bed next to her and curled against her side, clutching her tightly. 

‘I honestly thought we’d lost you,’ she said quietly. 

The Doctor rested her head against Yaz’s, trying to ignore the way her body was lighting up at the contact. She’d accepted that the genie thing must have been some weird drug-induced hallucination brought on by medication that probably wasn’t safe for Gallifreyans to have, but it had seemed  _ so real.  _

‘You kept mumbling about princesses,’ Yaz murmured quietly, and the Doctor swore one of her hearts skipped a beat.

‘Princesses?’

‘Yeah, and genies.’ 

The Doctor wasn’t sure what to say so opted for staying silent, but she must have started breathing a little faster - or perhaps her hearts rate had picked up - as Yaz suddenly lifted her head and gave her a curious look.

‘Anything you want to tell me?’

‘Um…’

The Doctor trailed off, unsure if saying anything was a good idea. What was a good way of saying  _ I halucinated that we had sex  _ without seeming too creepy or stalkerish? Similarly, she’d never be able to own up to Graham that she’d killed him off; even if it had been due to a combination of her body trying to heal itself and some hefty sedatives. 

‘Doctor? You’re blushing.’

Yaz sounded bemused and she sat up a little to better see her friend’s face, making it impossible for the Doctor to look away from her. 

‘Do you remember, after the cyberman thing,’ the Doctor said, swallowing hard. ‘We were sitting in the library and we had that - moment.’

Yaz did remember. She remembered being so wired and upset that she’d been unable to sleep. The Doctor had offered to read to her and she’d dosed, curled against her friend as she’d drifted in and out to the sound of the Doctor's quiet voice. Then in the morning she’d woken up and the Doctor had been asleep next to her, the book resting against her chest. She’d woken up when Yaz had moved a little and - for a second - their lips had been  _ so close  _ to each other and the Doctor was so warm and Yaz had just felt herself leaning forward when -

Graham had dropped something on his foot further down the corridor and the spell had been broken.

Yaz definitely remembered. The Doctor had never brought it up though. Yaz had started to wonder if the Doctor even remembered it or if she’d been half asleep at the time. 

‘Well,’ the Doctor continued quietly. ‘I was having this… dream. I was a genie and you were a princess and - this sounds so stupid.’

‘Please tell me,’ Yaz whispered. 

‘I was a prisoner and you set me free,’ the Doctor mumbled. ‘But it all seemed so  _ real.  _ I really thought it was happening.’

‘Why did you ask me if I remembered the library?’ Yaz asked. She could feel her heart pounding as though it was about to burst out her ribcage, cheeks colouring, heat pooling between her legs.

‘Because we were together,’ the Doctor said softly. ‘In my dream, we were together.’ 

Yaz was silent for a moment, watching her face. The Doctor never opened up about her feelings. She bottled everything up and kept it all silent until it erupted out of her in one go. The knowledge that a) the Doctor  _ remembered  _ their morning on the sofa and b) that she’d dreamt they were together was sending butterflies fluttering in Yaz’s stomach. For so long, all she wanted was for the Doctor to admit her feelings for her. She was no fool, and she was sure the Doctor must know how she felt as well, but she’d been so frightened of rejection.

Then the Doctor tilted her head and suddenly they were kissing. 

It was soft, warm, and perfect. Yaz’s heart was pounding so hard she thought it was about to escape her ribcage and when the Doctor curled her fingers in Yaz’s hair she wanted to cry with the perfectness of the moment. She’d waited for this for  _ so long.  _

When they pulled away they were both breathless. 

‘Tell me more about this dream,’ Yaz said, smiling as she stretched out on the bed next to her. 

‘Well,’ the Doctor said, getting comfy on her sheets and shimmering down a little so they were face to face. ‘It started off in a basement when you released me from the lamp…’


End file.
